SALEM, Ore. — Agility Robotics has unveiled a new version of its Digit humanoid designed to work alongside people without the physical barriers that usually separate workers from industrial robots. Customers will have to wait until 2027 to put it to work. 

Introduced on Sept. 15, Digit 5 uses several types of sensors and Agility's proprietary AI technology to monitor its surroundings in all directions. When someone gets too close, the robot can move away, stop, or lower itself into a seated position and cut power to its motors. 

Lights and sounds alert workers to its incoming reaction, while a separate safety controller activates a response when someone crosses an unsafe zone. Agility has stated the system removes the need for specific exclusion zones and that it is the first launch partner for NVIDIA’s Halos for Robotics platform, as per the company’s announcement. 

Co-founder and chief robot officer Jonathan Hurst said one of the key points is to make a robot safe around people means designing for it from the outset. He expressed this in an interview with The Robot Report that the challenge is “completely holistic,” affecting everything from the robot’s mechanics to its sensors and computing. 

This redesign also changes how Digit moves and how much it can carry. New legs fitted with cycloidal actuators replace Digit 4’s distinctive backward-bending knees. Agility reports the 129 kg robot can repeatedly lift loads of up to 22.7 kg, a 40% increase over its predecessor, and reach as high as 2.2 metres. 

Its battery lasts 90 minutes and recharges in nine minutes. With those charging breaks, the company says Digit 5 can work for more than 20 hours a day. 

Early access is planned for the first half of 2027, with general availability expected by the end of that year. Agility also expects Digit 5 to carry a CE mark, opening the way for it to become the first Digit model sold outside North America. That mark has not yet been granted. 

The new model builds on experience with Digit 4, which Agility says has logged more than 65,000 hours at customers including GXO, Schaeffler, Amazon and Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada. 

The launch comes as Agility prepares to merge with Churchill Capital Corp. XI in a deal valuing the robotics company at $2.5 billion. 

Agility believes the company has secured more than $300 million in multi-year Digit 5 orders as of May, subject to meeting milestones. But those orders are concentrated in one customer. Citing the S-4 registration statement, GeekWire reported that an unnamed buyer had ordered 1,000 robots over three years. The filing separately describes a May agreement with a related party for at least 1,000 robots. 

For now, the promise of a humanoid working freely alongside people still comes with unanswered questions. Agility has not named a certification body or set a date for certification of Digit 5’s safety architecture.