Agility Robotics is launching Digit 5, its newest humanoid robot. Digit 5 is designed to work in close proximity with humans without the physical safety barriers that have traditionally separated robots from workers.
In this episode of Humanoid Daily, we chat with Agility Robotics CEO Peggy Johnson.
She explains what has changed with Digit 5, including a 50-pound payload capacity, faster charging, improved vision and human detection, swappable end effectors, and the ability to move between multiple tasks inside logistics and manufacturing facilities.
We also dig into one of the biggest challenges facing humanoid robotics: safety.
Peggy explains how Agility is working with ANSI and ISO standards, how Digit detects and reacts to nearby humans, and why removing safety cages could unlock much broader deployment of humanoid robots.
We discuss where humanoids fit alongside traditional automation and autonomous mobile robots, why Agility chose legs instead of wheels, what the company has learned from more than 65,000 hours of real-world robot operation, and how customers including major logistics and manufacturing companies are helping shape Digit’s development.
Peggy also shares how Agility trains new robotic skills using a combination of real-world operational data, simulation tools such as NVIDIA Isaac Sim, and learning from demonstration.
Plus, we talk about the increasingly competitive humanoid robotics market, Agility Robotics’ U.S.-based manufacturing strategy, RoboFab, and what Digit 5 could be capable of a year from now compared with day one.
Topics include:
• Digit 5 and human-robot collaboration
• Humanoid robot safety
• 50-pound payload capacity
• Fast charging and multi-shift operation
• Robotics standards and regulation
• Legs versus wheels
• Warehouse and manufacturing automation
• Agility Robotics’ RoboFab
• Physical AI and robot training
• NVIDIA Isaac Sim
• Learning from demonstration
• The growing humanoid robotics market
00:00 Digit 5 can now work around humans
00:32 Introducing Agility Robotics’ Digit 5
01:17 50-pound payloads and longer operating time
02:03 Fast charging vs. swappable batteries
03:02 Why Digit can move differently than humans
04:03 The growing industrial labor gap
05:01 Breaking the humanoid safety barrier
05:41 How Digit detects nearby humans
06:18 Building safety standards for humanoid robots
07:05 When Digit 5 will begin deploying
07:30 How fast should a humanoid robot walk?
08:02 What happens when a human gets too close?
09:04 Why Agility is taking a cautious approach
10:03 Swappable grippers and robotic end effectors
11:05 Using the existing robotics ecosystem
11:42 Where humanoid robotics is today
13:00 Moving from one task to end-to-end workflows
14:17 The factory of the future
15:30 Humanoids vs. wheeled robots
16:41 Why legs make sense for Digit
17:36 Connecting Digit with other automation
18:03 The exploding humanoid robotics market
18:42 Agility’s real-world advantage
19:17 What Agility has learned from customers
20:28 How U.S. policy affects Agility Robotics
21:05 RoboFab and Agility’s U.S. operations
22:04 Expanding Digit 5 into Europe
23:00 How Digit 5 will gain new skills
23:39 The race to train humanoid robots
24:31 Real data, simulation and Isaac Sim
25:02 Learning from demonstration
25:48 Final thoughts
