Published on: March 23, 2025 / update from: March 23, 2025 - Author: Konrad Wolfenstein
The humanoid work robot 'Digit' of the Agility Robotics startup from Corvallis, Oregon - Image: Agility Robotics
Digit as a milestone for commercial humanoid robotics
Time Magazine awarded Humanoid Robot Digit as a top innovation
Digit, the two -legged robot of the Agility Robotics company from Corvallis, Oregon, marks a milestone in the commercial use of humanoid robotics. The system designed for human work environments is specially designed for logistics tasks and has already started the first permanent commercial missions. With a size of about 1.75 m, Digit can wear up to 16 kg and was recently awarded one of the best inventions of 2024 by the Time Magazine. The company is currently building a specialized factory with the capacity of up to 10,000 robots annually and is expanding with well -known partnerships such as Amazon, GXO Logistics and Ricoh USA.
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The history of the origin of Agility Robotics
Agility Robotics was founded in 2015 and is closely linked to Oregon State University (OSU). The co-founder Jonathan Hurst came to OSU in 2008 as a professor and already stated during his job interview that his long-term goal was to found his own robotics company. With the support of the university, Hurst built the first robotics laboratory at OSU and thus laid the foundation for a now significant robotics program at the university.
The research work at the university finally led to the development of a humanoid robot that is able to go and run in various environments. These early successes made it possible to found Agility Robotics, whose predecessor robot called “Cassie” already laid important foundations for the development of Digit.
In 2022, the company received a significant financial injection of more than $ 150 million from investors, including the Amazon Industrial Innovation Fund as well as risk capital companies such as DCVC and Playground. This investment underlines confidence in the technology and the potential of Agility Robotics.
Technical features and skills of Digit
Digit is a 1.75 m (5 foot 9 inch) of large humanoid robots with a load capacity of up to 16 kg (35 pounds). The design of the robot is deliberately designed by humanoid, whereby the legs are reminiscent of that of a large bird such as bouquet or crane. This construction is based on decades of research on how people and animals go and enables Digit to navigate on various surfaces.
The robot moves at an average speed of about 1.5 m/s, which corresponds to the preferred walking pace of a person. Although some warehouses noted that they could do their tasks faster than Digit, Agility Robotics continuously works on improving the robot's quality of movement.
The head of Digit houses internal antennas and LED eyes, which are flashing in, in which direction the robot moves. He is also equipped with several camera and sensorarrays and a lidar system (Light Detection and Ranging) to scan his surroundings. With its two robot arms, Digit can grab and move objects, whereby its range of range ranges from the floor to a height of approx. 1.68 m (5.5 feet).
Agility ARC: The Cloud platform
In addition to the physical robot, Agility Robotics also developed “Agility ARC”, a cloud-based automation platform for the use and management of Digit fleets. This platform simplifies the entire operational process from the mapping of the facility and definition of the work processes to operational management and for troubleshooting. Agility ARC offers:
- Easy integration: quick and seamless integration in WMS, WES or MES solutions
- Fast automation: implementation of digit within hours or days instead of weeks or months
- Security and reliability: industry -leading security through the cloud
- Adaptability: Fast adaptation of the work processes with changing requirements
Commercial missions and partnerships
GXO Logistics: The first permanent commercial use
One of the most important milestones for Agility Robotics is the permanent use of Digit at GXO Logistics. After a successful pilot project at the end of 2023, both companies signed a multi-year agreement that represents both the first formal commercial use of humanoid robots in the industry and the first Robots-As-A-Service (RAAS) use of humanoid robots.
In a Spanx facility, Digit supports support tapes in repetitive tasks such as moving cobots (collaborative robots), whereby all processes are orchestrated by agility ARC. The robots are integrated into existing automated processes in order to take on repetitive and difficult tasks and thus relieve the staff.
Amazon: Tests in the camp environment
Amazon has invested in Agility Robotics through his “Industrial Innovation Fund” and is now testing Digit in its warehouses. In a facility in Sumner, Washington, the robots are used for the “dead consolidation”-a process in which warehouse boxes are re-organized and positioned after all goods are removed. Digit can recognize, grab and move such containers autonomously while it finds his way around an environment originally designed for humans.
These tests are still in an early stage, and Amazon follows a strict product development cycle in which small tests begin to gradually build trust. The feedback from employees is an important part of this process, similar to the introduction of other robot technologies at Amazon.
Ricoh USA: Customer support partnership
In September 2024, Agility Robotics announced a partnership with Ricoh USA, a global service company. Ricoh will help to expand Agility's customer support skills across North America and to better prepare the company for larger operations from Digit. This partnership is intended to accelerate the growth potential of agility and facilitate the technology introduction and support for the growing number of companies that want to automate their processes.
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Robofab: The world's first factory for humanoid robots
One of the most remarkable developments in Agility Robotics is the construction of “Robofab”, a 70,000 square foot (approx. 6,500 m²) large robot production in Salem, Oregon. This factory, whose construction began in 2022 and which was expected to open in 2023, is the first major institution of the company to produce humanoid robots.
Robofab is designed to produce more than 10,000 digit robots per year. In the first year, a production capacity of hundreds of robots is expected, with the opportunity to scale over 10,000 units per year. At full capacity, the factory should employ more than 500 employees in Salem, in addition to the employees at other Agility locations.
Interestingly, digit robots will work in the new factory themselves, in a similar capacity as at customer locations, and move containers. The decision to build Robofab near the company's research center at Corvallis underlines Agility's commitment to the Oregon region.
Recognition and future prospects
The progress of Agility Robotics and its robot Digit have found broad recognition. In October 2024, Digit was recognized by Time Magazine as one of the best inventions in 2024 and even appeared on the magazine cover. This underlines the meaning and potential of this technology.
Damion Shelton, CEO and co -founder of Agility Robotics emphasized the social importance of her work: “There is a lot of work that robotics would describe as boring, dirty and dangerous and probably shouldn't do. The development of the work goes in the direction of higher qualified, risky jobs, and robots like Digit could help to continue this process in the modern world.
The general market launch of Digit is planned for 2025, and with the increasing spread in logistics and production environments, this humanoid robot could make an important contribution to solving challenges such as injuries, burnout, high fluctuation and labor.
From the pioneer to the market leader: Agility Robotics transforms the robotics industry
Digit from Agility Robotics is at the top of a new era of robotics, in which humanoid machines are not only used in the laboratory, but in real commercial environments. With its ability to move in human rooms and work with existing systems, Digit represents significant progress in the cooperation between people and the machine.
The strategic partnerships with industry giants such as Amazon and GXO Logistics, combined with the investment in mass production by Robofab, position agility robotics as a pioneer in the field of humanoid robotics. While this technology is further developed and refined, it could help transform the world of work by relieving people from repetitive and physically exhausting tasks and at the same time creating new opportunities for higher -quality work.
Agility Robotics: From the startup to an integral part of the humanoid robotics
Agility Robotics can not be seen more than a classic startup, since it has existed since 2015 and has made considerable progress in recent years. The company has developed into an established provider of humanoid robotic solutions and has closed significant partnerships with large companies such as Amazon and GXO Logistics. It has also received a strategic investment from the Schaeffler Group and plans to expand its production capacities by building a factory called Robofab.
Although it is still managed as a private company, Agility Robotics has already achieved a considerable size and market position, which distinguishes from the typical features of a startup, which are often characterized by fast growth phases and uncertainty. Agility Robotics has developed into a leading company in humanoid robotics and is working on the scaling of its technology to be used in various industries such as logistics and manufacturing.
TIME Collegs Digit to one of the best inventions 2024
The Humanoid Robot Digit from Agility Robotics was awarded one of the best inventions in 2024 by Time Magazine and even adorned the magazine cover. Digit is the first humanoid robot that was used commercially in a work environment, as part of a multi -year agreement with the logistics provider GXO.
Meaning of the award
The recognition by Time underlines Digit's potential to address current labor bottlenecks. Peggy Johnson, CEO of Agility Robotics, emphasized that humanoid robots such as Digit can take on dangerous and physically exhausting tasks that are difficult to fill for humans.
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