Agility Robotics is an American robotics company that develops humanoid robots designed to work in human-oriented environments, especially warehouses and logistics centers. The company was founded in 2015 as a spin-off from Oregon State University’s Dynamic Robotics Lab and is headquartered in Salem, Oregon. Its flagship product, Digit, is a human-scale, bipedal robot intended for repetitive, low-dexterity, physically demanding workflows such as moving and recycling empty totes.
Digit
Agility manufactures robots at RoboFab, which the company describes as the first full-scale humanoid robot factory, with a roadmap to scale output to 10,000 units per year at peak capacity. The facility anchors Agility’s strategy to move humanoids from research labs to commercial deployment.
Design and Features
Human-scale form and collaborative behavior
Digit is built to approximately adult human dimensions, enabling it to navigate aisles, thresholds, and stairs while reaching standard shelves, carts, and workstations designed for people. Agility prioritizes robustness and safety for mixed workplaces, including emergency-stop features and intent signaling for human collaborators.
Task-focused end-effectors
For logistics, Digit uses gripper-style “hands” optimized for tote grasping and container handling rather than delicate finger dexterity. End-effectors can be adapted for specific workflows to maximize uptime and throughput in repetitive tasks.
Power, runtime, and charging
Digit supports battery swapping and self-docking to chargers, aligning with multi-hour operations across shifts. Public materials and neutral spec aggregators cite top walking speeds on the order of ~1.2–1.5 m/s, depending on duty cycle and revision.
Technology and Specifications
Locomotion, perception, and control
Digit uses electric actuation, onboard perception (RGB/3D sensing), and whole-body control to achieve stable bipedal locomotion, turning in tight spaces, and stepping up or down typical facility transitions. Control stacks are tuned for steady, predictable mobility in cluttered, human-oriented spaces rather than acrobatic demonstrations.
Representative figures (publicly reported)
- Standing height: ~1.75 m (5'9").
- Payload: ~16 kg / 35 lb (typical tote loads).
- Walking speed: ~1.2–1.5 m/s, task-dependent.
- Runtime: multi-hour per charge; extended via docking or swaps
Exact numbers vary by Digit revision and job profile; detailed datasheets are typically provided under NDA or gated customer portals.
Production and factory scale
Agility’s RoboFab in Salem, Oregon is positioned to transition from hundreds of units in early phases to thousands annually as demand for warehouse humanoids grows, with an ultimate design capacity around 10,000 robots/year
Software and fleet tools
Agility provides fleet-level orchestration (often referenced as Agility Arc) to schedule tasks, manage charging, and monitor health so multiple Digits can be deployed like other mobile assets within a facility. (Details are primarily available through Agility’s customer resources.)
Applications and Use Cases
Warehouse tote recycling and circulation
Digit’s most publicized role is tote recycling at Amazon: moving empty totes from outbound to storage, a repetitive task that reduces walking and bending for employees while keeping lines supplied. This workflow helps validate humanoids on repeatable, medium-dexterity jobs that do not justify extensive infrastructure changes.
Line feeding, buffer moves, and staging
In pilots with third-party logistics providers, Digit supports container moves, kitting buffers, and line feeding—point-to-point tasks where human-scale reach and stair/threshold mobility outperform wheeled autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) constrained by facility geometry.
General facility support
Beyond totes, Digit can handle carts, empty container circulation, and shift-change replenishment, complementing conveyors and AMRs. The approach favors interoperability with existing buildings rather than facility redesign.
Advantages / Benefits
- Human-scale interoperability: Works within existing shelf heights, doorways, and carts, avoiding costly re-architecture for automation.
- Mobility over clutter: Bipedal locomotion enables stairs, thresholds, and uneven floors that limit some wheeled platforms.
- Shift coverage: Self-docking and swappable batteries sustain multi-hour operations across shifts.
- Deployment traction: Recognition such as RBR50 Robot of the Year (2024) underscores early commercial momentum for Digit.
- Scalable manufacturing: RoboFab provides a path from pilots to large-scale fleets.
Comparisons
In logistics automation, Agility’s Digit competes and collaborates with AMRs, fixed robotic arms, and other humanoid robots (e.g., Apptronik Apollo, Figure 01, Tesla Optimus). Compared with AMRs, Digit offers human-scale reach and stair capability, trading off higher speed or payload available to some wheeled platforms. Compared with multi-finger humanoids targeting dexterous manipulation, Agility focuses on robust grippers and repeatable warehouse flows, aligning design choices with up-time and safety in mixed human-robot environments.
Pricing and Availability
Agility does not broadly publish list pricing. Industry coverage indicates enterprise pilots with context-dependent pricing (commonly cited in the six-figure range per unit, plus services/integration). Production scale is tied to RoboFab’s ramp: hundreds initially, with a roadmap toward thousands annually at maturity. Organizations typically engage Agility through pilot programs before wider fleet rollouts.
FAQ
What is Agility Robotics?
Agility Robotics is a U.S. robotics company that builds humanoid robots for real-world facilities, most notably Digit for warehouse logistics. Founded in 2015, it spun out of Oregon State University research.
How does Agility’s Digit work?
Digit combines electric actuation, onboard sensing, and whole-body control to walk, turn, and handle containers using robust grippers. It supports battery swapping and autonomous docking for multi-hour shifts.
Why is Agility Robotics important?
Agility targets the automation gap in human-designed buildings—tasks that are too dynamic for fixed equipment yet benefit from human-scale reach—advancing practical, collaborative humanoid deployment.
Where is Agility’s factory?
Agility operates RoboFab in Salem, Oregon, described as the first full-scale humanoid robot factory, with a planned capacity up to 10,000 robots per year at peak.
Where has Digit been piloted?Amazon has tested Digit for tote recycling, and logistics providers have trialed container moves and staging tasks—early commercial use cases for humanoids.
Summary
Agility Robotics occupies a leading position in applied humanoid robotics, focusing on pragmatic warehouse tasks where human-scale reach and legged mobility offer clear benefits. With Digit moving through enterprise pilots and RoboFab positioned to scale production, the company’s approach emphasizes safety, reliability, and integration with existing facilities. As logistics operators seek automation that adapts to human-designed spaces, Agility’s blend of bipedal mobility, task-tailored end-effectors, and fleet tools presents a credible path from pilot to large-scale deployment.