Get ready to picture robots working right alongside us, not behind safety fences! Agility Robotics is shaking things up big time with their new humanoid robot, Digit 5. For years, the main thing keeping robots from taking on real jobs wasn”’t their brains or their strength, but literally a fence keeping them separate from humans. Well, Digit 5 is here to change all that, designed specifically to safely cooperate with us “fragile meatbags” without any barriers, opening up a whole new world for industrial environments.
And trust us, Digit 5 is quite the worker. Standing nearly six feet tall and weighing 284 pounds, this robot can lift a hefty 50 pounds (that”’s 40% more than its predecessor!) and reach over seven feet high. Plus, its battery is a workhorse, running for 90 minutes and recharging in a blink – just 9 minutes – allowing it to clock in a solid 20-hour workday. No wonder customers across manufacturing, warehousing, and logistics have already placed over $300 million in multi-year orders!
So, how does it manage to be so capable and safe at the same time? Digit 5 boasts a triple-layer safety system, including proprietary AI for spotting humans and triggering stops or evasive maneuvers, along with visual and auditory safety cues. It”’s also backed by an independent safety controller. This isn”’t Agility Robotics”’ first rodeo either; their previous Digit model has an impressive track record with over 65,000 operational hours at major companies like Amazon and Toyota. While early access for Digit 5 begins mid-2027, you can expect to see these uncaged robots more widely by late 2027.