Updated
Updated · Ars Technica · Sep 15
Agility Robotics Debuts Digit 5 Humanoid Robot After 65,000 Work Hours in Warehouses
Updated
Updated · Ars Technica · Sep 15

Agility Robotics Debuts Digit 5 Humanoid Robot After 65,000 Work Hours in Warehouses

3 articles · Updated · Ars Technica · Sep 15

Summary

  • Digit 5 debuted with human-safe behaviors that let it work alongside people, including stopping, moving aside, or squatting when someone gets too close.
  • Those safeguards are meant to remove the need for isolated robot cells and barriers, widening potential use in warehouses and automotive factories.
  • Agility said customers will get early access in the first half of 2027, with general availability planned by the end of 2027 as it retools its Salem, Oregon, RoboFab plant.
  • More than 65,000 hours of prior Digit operations across North American warehouses and factories underpin the launch; users have included GXO, Schaeffler, Amazon and Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada.
  • The debut builds on Agility's 2024 milestone of putting humanoid robots into full-time commercial warehouse operations at a GXO site in Atlanta.

Insights

Can Digit 5's rapid nine-minute recharge truly sustain demanding 24/7 warehouse logistics without disrupting human workflow?
How will human workers psychologically adapt to a massive 7-foot robot that autonomously squats when they get too close?
Will Agility's $300 million in pre-orders for Digit 5 translate to actual revenue, or is the RaaS model too risky?