Agility Robotics, a company specializing in robotic solutions, is nearing completion of its 70,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Salem, Oregon. The “RoboFab” factory will be capable of producing over 10,000 units per year of Agility’s Digit humanoid robot. The facility is set to open later this year, with customer deliveries scheduled for 2024 and general availability planned for 2025. Initial production will include “hundreds” of Digit humanoids, with plans for scaling up production in the future.

The Digit robot stands at 175 cm tall and weighs approximately 65 kg. It features bird-like legs similar to the company’s Cassie robot, which holds the Guinness World Record for the fastest 100-meter sprint by a bipedal robot. Digit’s legs can fold up and squat down, allowing it to navigate tight spaces and pick up items without requiring excessive leaning or protruding knees.

Equipped with camera vision and LiDAR, Digit can be controlled via a tablet and perform various tasks, primarily focused on picking up and moving objects. Agility Robotics has also been experimenting with using large language model (LLM) AIs to enable Digit to program itself in response to natural language verbal commands.

Initially, Digit will be deployed in Agility’s own factory and those of its early customers for tasks such as moving boxes and totes. The company’s future plans include expanding Digit’s capabilities to include loading and unloading trucks.

It is worth noting that while Agility Robotics claims RoboFab to be the world’s first humanoid robot factory, Chinese company Fourier Intelligence announced a similar project. Fourier Intelligence plans to have 100 of its GT-1 humanoids built and delivered by the end of this year. Regardless, the rise of humanoid robot workers signifies a significant shift in the workforce and hints at the potential for further advancements in automation.

Source: Agility Robotics