Agility Digit

Agility Robotics' industrial bipedal humanoid robot

Agility Digit

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Terminology

AbbreviationDefinition
DoFDegrees of Freedom
AMRAutonomous Mobile Robot
RaaSRobot-as-a-Service
PoCProof of Concept
VLAVision-Language-Action

Overview

ItemContent
ManufacturerAgility Robotics
HeadquartersAlbany, Oregon / Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Founded2015 (Oregon State University spinoff)
MarketIndustrial, logistics, warehouse automation
Key PartnersAmazon, GXO Logistics

Key Significance

Agility Robotics’ Digit is one of the first humanoid robots commercially deployed in logistics environments. In Fall 2025, it demonstrated the industrial practicality of humanoid robots by moving over 100,000 totes at GXO logistics centers 1. The key competitive advantage is that it can operate on stairs, narrow corridors, and irregular terrain where wheel-based AMRs cannot go, and can be deployed in existing human-designed facilities without separate infrastructure changes.

Note: Agility Robotics markets Digit as the “industry’s first commercially deployed humanoid” 2, though this is based on full-time commercial operations in logistics/warehouse sector. Competitors are also conducting various forms of pilot deployments.

Company History: From Oregon State to RoboFab

Founders and Origins

FounderRoleBackground
Jonathan HurstChief Robot OfficerOregon State University Professor, CMU PhD
Damion SheltonChairman of the BoardCMU PhD, Hurst’s classmate
Mikhail JonesVP of SoftwareOregon State graduate

Agility Robotics was spun off from Oregon State University’s Dynamic Robotics Lab in 2015 3. Founder Jonathan Hurst obtained his robotics PhD from CMU, then researched the physics of legged locomotion at OSU and co-founded the OSU Robotics Institute.

Cassie: Digit’s Predecessor

Cassie was Agility’s first robot, designed inspired by the leg mechanics of ostriches and cassowaries.

ItemContent
Development FundingDARPA $1M grant, 16 months 4
FeaturesPure bipedal robot without upper body/cognitive system
RecordWorld’s first 5K run completion, 2021, approximately 53 minutes 5
UseSold to universities/research institutions as research platform

“We weren’t trying to replicate the appearance of animals, but rather replicating the techniques animals use for agile, efficient, and robust locomotion.” - Jonathan Hurst 4

Digit Version History

VersionPeriodKey FeaturesSource
Digit V12019First humanoid version, upper body/arms added3
Digit V22020-2021Last-mile delivery research collaboration with Ford (reported)3
Digit (Commercial)2023Logistics-specialized design, improved End Effector6
Digit (Next-gen)2024Battery expansion, payload increase7

Technical Specifications

Note: Specs below are collected from various sources and may vary by version. All units are standardized to SI (metric) with imperial units noted where needed.

Physical Specifications

ItemSpecSource
Height175 cm (5’9”)8
Weight65 kg (143 lbs)8
Walking Speed5 km/h8
Payload16 kg (35 lbs), Next-gen: 23 kg (50 lbs)78
PriceApproximately $250,000 (pilot program basis, reported)9

Degrees of Freedom (DoF)

VersionDoF ConfigurationSource
Initial16 DoF (legs 5x2 + arms 3x2)10
Commercial28 DoF8
Latest32 DoF (legs 6x2 + arms 7x2 + grippers 1x2 + waist 2 + neck 2)8

DoF configuration varies by version; figures may differ by source

Battery and Power

ItemSpecSource
Battery TypeCustom 1.2kWh Li-Po8
Walking Time1.5 hours (initial) → 4 hours (2024 version)7
Standby Time3 hours8
Work:Charge Ratio4:1 (reported)7
Auto DockingSupported (added 2024)7

Sensors and Computing

ItemContentSource
NavigationLiDAR8
Depth SensingIntel RealSense x 48
IMUMEMS IMU8
ProprioceptionAbsolute/Incremental encoders8
ComputingIntel i7 dual CPU8
Expansion BayIntel NUC / NVIDIA Jetson mountable8

End Effector (Gripper)

Digit adopts a modular End Effector approach 6:

  • Suction Gripper: For flat surfaces of plastic totes/boxes
  • MT 2 (Manipulation Tool 2): Newly introduced 2024
  • Interchangeable design depending on task

Note: Compared to competitors (Tesla Optimus, Figure 02), dexterous hand technology is relatively simple; Agility focuses on logistics-specialized grippers

Amazon Partnership

Amazon invested in Agility Robotics through the Amazon Industrial Innovation Fund 11.

Deployment Stages

StagePeriodContentNotes
Phase 12023-2024Pilot program (Sumner, WA, etc.)Confirmed 11
Phase 22025Expansion to 10+ logistics centersPlan, reported 9

Initial Use Case

Tote Recycling: High-repetition task of collecting and moving empty totes after all inventory has been picked 11

Results (Reported)

MetricValueNotes
Task Success Rate98%After 18 months testing, estimate 9
Hourly Cost$10-12Compared to human worker $30, estimate 9

Note: Above figures are from third-party analysis reports, not Agility official announcements

GXO Deployment: Humanoid Commercialization Case in Logistics

Deployment Overview

ItemContent
LocationFlowery Branch, Georgia (Atlanta suburbs)
CustomerSPANX omnichannel logistics center
ContractMulti-year RaaS contract
StartLate 2023 PoC → 2024 full deployment

Source: 12

100K Tote Milestone (Fall 2025)

Digit demonstrated the following by achieving movement of over 100,000 totes 1:

  1. High-Volume Processing: Industrial-level throughput
  2. Reliability: Operation within live fulfillment workflows
  3. ROI Potential: Direction toward long-term ROI validation

Tasks Performed

  • Picking up/putting down totes from Cobot AMRs
  • Loading items onto conveyors
  • Stacking containers at various floor positions

Orchestration

Manages Digit fleet through Agility Arc cloud platform, integrated with AMR vendors like MiR, Zebra Robotics 2.

RoboFab: Humanoid-Dedicated Manufacturing Facility

ItemContentSource
LocationSalem, Oregon (about 50km from engineering center)13
AreaApproximately 6,500 m² (70,000 sq ft)13
OpeningLate 202313
Maximum Production Capacity10,000 units annually (target)13
Employment Plan500 people (at max production)14

Production System Features

  • Designed so each subassembly completes at the same time
  • Simultaneous Assembly: Entire robot assembled simultaneously then moves to final test
  • Scalable: Production increase by replicating each work cell
  • High-rate manufacturing possible without line shutdown

Production Roadmap

PeriodTarget
Year 1Hundreds of units (8 per shift)
Scale-upThousands of units (2026 target)
Maximum10,000 units annually

Strategic Partnerships

PartnerPeriodContentSource
Amazon2023Investment and warehouse deployment11
GXO Logistics2023-2024Logistics sector RaaS contract12
Zion Solutions2024.05Logistics/supply chain system integration15
Ricoh USA2024.09Installation, service, customer support15
MiR / Zebra2025AMR integration2

Competitive Positioning

Strengths

  • Early Commercial Deployment Experience: Most advanced real operational experience in logistics sector
  • Logistics Specialization: Focus on industrial rather than general-purpose
  • Production Infrastructure: Mass production capability through RoboFab

Challenges

  • Hand Technology: Simpler gripper compared to competitors (limitations when expanding beyond logistics)
  • AI Capabilities: Room for advancement in End-to-End neural network approaches
  • Versatility: Need to verify expandability beyond logistics areas

Competitor Comparison

CompanyApproachStatus
AgilityLogistics specialized, gradual expansionCommercial operations
TeslaGeneral-purpose, mass production targetPilot stage
FigureHigh-performance AI (Helix VLA)Testing
1XHome/general-purposeDevelopment

Comparison is as of 2025, based on each company’s announcements and reports

Market Outlook

Labor Shortage Response

The logistics industry faces increasing volumes and persistent labor shortages, driving demand for humanoid automation solutions like Digit 16.

2025-2026 Outlook (Industry Estimates)

Note: Forecasts below are based on industry analysts and reports; actual results may differ

  • Industrial: Hundreds to thousands of units expected 16
  • Consumer: Expected in 2-4 years 16

References

See Also

Footnotes

  1. Digit 100K Tote Achievement Announcement - Agility Robotics Official ↩ ↩2

  2. Agility Robotics Official Solutions Page ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  3. Contrary Research: Agility Robotics Analysis ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  4. Oregon State: Cassie Steps into the Limelight ↩ ↩2

  5. Oregon State Cassie 5K Achievement ↩

  6. Agility Robotics Next Generation Digit Announcement ↩ ↩2

  7. Agility Robotics New Innovations Announcement ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5

  8. Livium Digit Specifications / QVIRO Digit Specifications ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7 ↩8 ↩9 ↩10 ↩11 ↩12 ↩13 ↩14

  9. Scaling Deep: Agility Robotics Analysis - Third-party analysis ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4

  10. Robots Guide: Digit ↩

  11. Amazon Partnership Announcement ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4

  12. GXO Multi-year Contract ↩ ↩2

  13. RoboFab Official Page / RoboFab Opening Announcement ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4

  14. OPB: Corvallis robotics company Salem factory ↩

  15. Contrary Research: Agility Robotics Partnership Analysis - Third-party analysis ↩ ↩2

  16. Humanoid Robots 2025-2026 Outlook - Industry analysis ↩ ↩2 ↩3