Just posted to my Forbes column about a big milestone for humanoid robots: Digit just landed another job … this time with Toyota.
Agility Robotics announced that Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada, its largest manufacturing operation outside Japan, has signed a commercial Robots-as-a-Service deal after a successful pilot. Digit will help build the newest RAV4 for the North American market, marking a meaningful step forward for humanoids in one of the toughest industrial environments there is: automotive manufacturing. From working with GXO and Schaeffler to deployments at Amazon, Digit is steadily building a résumé that no other humanoid robot can match.
“Toyota is one of the premier companies in the world… so it’s a privilege to join forces to integrate humanoid robotic solutions like Digit into automotive production,” said Agility Robotics CEO Peggy Johnson, who also emphasized that the company aims to deliver the first cooperatively safe humanoid robot designed to work alongside people at scale.
Digit may look a bit dorky with its boxy head and bird-like knees, but this isn’t about style. It’s about safely moving parts, loading carts, stacking containers, and doing real factory work. And with serious competition heating up from U.S. and Chinese humanoid robotics companies, Toyota’s choice is a strong signal about who’s actually ready for the factory floor.