Agility Adds FORT Safety Infrastructure to Digit 5

SALEM, Ore. — Agility Robotics and FORT Robotics are expanding their partnership to develop safety systems for Digit 5, including an external interface designed to connect the humanoid robot with safety equipment in factories and warehouses.

The companies signed a memorandum of understanding Oct. 1 covering joint hardware development, engineering, regulatory compliance and deployment support. The agreement builds on a multiyear relationship in which FORT has supplied safety technology for earlier versions of Digit, the two companies said in a joint release.
Digit 5's architecture includes three elements: a safety pendant, on-robot communications equipment, and an offboard safety bridge (the external interface). The bridge connects Digit to safety systems throughout a facility to integrate external environmental data with the robot's built-in protections. FORT provides Digit's tablet holder, which includes an emergency stop and enabling-device features. Agility says the pendant serves as a manual override for setup, maintenance and unexpected situations.

The equipment is intended to complement Digit 5's planned onboard safety features, including human detection and motion controls designed to respond when a person gets too close.

Agility introduced Digit 5 last month as its first humanoid made for cooperative safety, to work alongside humans without barriers commonly used around industrial automation. Some of those safety features aren't ready for prime time yet.
Digit 5 is not yet generally available. Agility expects to give early access to select operators in the first half of 2027, followed by general availability by year-end.

The new robot builds on Digit 4, which Agility says has accumulated more than 65,000 hours of operation across customer sites in North America. Customers have included GXO, Schaeffler and Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada.

The agreement signed on October 1 did not constitute a deployment of Digit 5 or revised safety certification. The companies said the expanded relationship is intended to support future deployments as Digit 5 moves into more complex industrial environments.