
Digit humanoid demonstrates its newest performance at ProMat 2025. Supply: Agility Robotics
At ProMat final month, Agility Robotics Inc. unveiled new capabilities for Digit that the corporate mentioned broaden the humanoid robotic’s utility for its rising person base.
“These upgrades enable Agility to broaden Digit’s capabilities to fulfill our increasing business and buyer wants,” acknowledged Melonee Clever, chief product officer at Agility Robotics. “Collectively, they reinforce our dedication to cooperative security, and display a path for Digit and human colleagues to in the future work aspect by aspect.”
Salem, Ore.-based Agility Robotics mentioned its robotic is designed to reinforce the human workforce. Digit was named the 2024 RBR50 Robotic of the 12 months for being the primary humanoid to start business trials and deployments in warehouses and manufacturing services.
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Agility Robotics provides options
Working carefully with prospects, Agility Robotics designed options that it mentioned will help fast and scaled deployment of Digit fleets, together with:
- Expanded and extra environment friendly battery energy with a period of as much as 4 hours
- Autonomous docking onto charging stations
- Streamlined manufacturing of the bipedal, multipurpose cell manipulation robotic (MMR)
- New sturdy limbs and finish effectors, giving Digit a wider vary of greedy angles and unlocking new use circumstances with expanded prospects for manipulation
Digit built-in with AMRs
“Humanoid robots ought to be designed to work alongside autonomous cell robots (AMRs), not substitute them, and Digit is not any exception,” famous Agility Robotics. “Humanoids excel at advanced manipulation, greedy, and navigating human-centric areas, whereas AMRs are masters of environment friendly transportation over longer distances.”
Digit can autonomously dispatch an AMR to ship gadgets to places corresponding to packout stations. This reduces the necessity for fixed human intervention, maximizing effectivity and permitting employees to give attention to extra advanced duties, the firm mentioned. It has been working with AMR suppliers to allow this communcation.
Agility mentioned its Arc cloud robotic platform now can name and dispatch AMRs. Digit has already been working alongside AMRs at its deployment with GXO Logistics close to Atlanta. The corporate additionally demonstrated integration with AMRs from Cell Industrial Robots and Zebra Applied sciences at ProMat in Chicago.
New robots handle security considerations
Requirements exist for machine and robotic security, however security requirements for “dynamically secure industrial cell robots” corresponding to Digit that require balancing are nonetheless within the growth. Agility Robotics mentioned it’s engaged on cooperative security functions to fulfill the requirements of OSHA-regulated environments obligatory for humanoids to work alongside people.
The corporate asserted that the newest model of Digit adheres to security requirements for industrial cell robots. Agility mentioned the brand new options signify a big step towards deploying cooperative security functions.
Digit’s enhanced person interface now options at-a-glance, back and front shows that assist monitor Wi-Fi standing, connectivity, connection to Agility Arc, battery ranges and upkeep ports, making it simpler to watch and handle the robotic.
The brand new security options embrace:
- A Class 1, or CAT1 cease, which maintains energy to the machine actuators through the deceleration course of, permitting the machine to cease easily and safely earlier than a shutdown.
- A security programmable logic controller (PLC) supplies security features that meet Efficiency Degree d (PLd).
- An emergency cease or E-stop button on a robotic is designed to right away halt all robotic actions and operations in case of an emergency. Its most important functions embrace stopping accidents, making certain employee security, complying with security rules, defending tools, and offering fast response management.
- FailSafe over EtherCAT (FSoE) is a security protocol utilized in robotics and industrial automation to make sure protected communication between units over an EtherCAT community. It allows the transmission of safety-critical information, corresponding to emergency cease alerts and sensor suggestions, whereas additionally sustaining real-time efficiency.
Agility Robotics mentioned it’s dedicated to security and is working to adjust to a number of requirements because it develops robots to ultimately work alongside individuals.
Agility Arc supplies management within the cloud
Agility Arc is a cloud-based platform that provides prospects management of their automation for a variety of logistics and manufacturing workflows. Agility claimed that it’s the first humanoid fleet administration system to efficiently combine and deploy humanoid robots in a business atmosphere.
As a part of its newest options, Agility Arc permits prospects to speak with AMRs and their corresponding platforms. Different new Agility Arc options embrace:
- Digit help
- Charger help
- Workcell EMS help
- Simple webhook integration
- Distant monitor, help, and upkeep of Digit and all equipment
- Continued and expanded Enterprise Programs Integration (MES, WMS, WES, PLC)
At ProMat, Digit demonstrated new use circumstances – together with these built-in with AMRs – corresponding to stacking and unstacking of totes, goods-to-person (G2P) or Unit Sorter, AMR loading and unloading, palletizing and depalletizing, nesting, flowrack and carts, and automatic putwall.
Final month, Agility Robotics additionally introduced that it’s increasing its collaboration with NVIDIA Corp., increasing adoption of robotic simulation and studying frameworks to coach and check behaviors on Digit, in addition to to make Digit fashions accessible to companions on NVIDIA Omniverse.
Study extra about humanoids on the Robotics Summit
Humanoids can be distinguished on the 2025 Robotics Summit & Expo, which can be on April 30 and Could 1 in Boston. Aaron Saunders, chief know-how officer of Boston Dynamics, is giving the opening keynote on Day 2 of the occasion. He’ll talk about the just lately redesigned Atlas robotic and share his ideas concerning the future humanoids.
The primary day of the present will characteristic a panel concerning the state of humanoids with Pras Velagapudi, CTO at Agility Robotics; Aaron Prather, director of robotics and autonomous techniques at ASTM Worldwide; and Al Makke, director of engineering at Schaeffler (which can also be testing Digit). The panel will discover the technical and enterprise challenges shaping the event of humanoids. It should additionally share insights from early deployments, what’s on the horizon, and the continued efforts to ascertain security requirements.
The Robotics Summit & Expo will brings collectively greater than 5,000 builders centered on constructing robots for a wide range of business industries. Attendees can acquire insights into the newest enabling applied sciences, engineering greatest practices, and rising developments.
The occasion may even embrace over 200 exhibitors, 60-plus audio system on stage, greater than 10 hours of devoted networking time, a Ladies in Robotics Breakfast, a profession honest, startup showcase, and extra. Returning to the present is the RBR50 Pavilion and RBR50 Awards Dinner, which can honor the winners of the annual RBR50 Robotics Innovation Awards.