A series of tall, capable, insect-like Digit robots are now moving around empty boxes at Amazon's research and development facility. A test run is the first step to using bots to automate repetitive warehouse processes.
The robots were provided for the test program by Agility Robotics, an Amazon-backed technology company whose flagship product is the humanoid Digit robot. The 5.7-foot (175-cm) tall robot has grasshopper-shaped legs, which the company calls “backward-pointing legs,” that allow it to bend down to pick up objects off the floor and lift them up to a height of nearly 6 feet. Digit can lift packages up to 35 pounds (16 kg), can walk in almost any direction, handle stairs and uneven terrain, and can even walk in a crouched position.
Amazon, which currently has over 750,000 robots in its fleet, indicates that Digit is not intended to eliminate jobs, but rather “work in partnership with employees.” The company said the robots will take on the repetitive process of recycling empty totes that are no longer in stock.
This is by no means Digit's first foray into the world of work, where human workers can never be replaced (yes, that's meant to be sarcastic). In 2019, a creepier version of the headless bot was tested in a partnership with Ford to autonomously deliver packages to your home. And last year, Digit began operations in a warehouse that fulfills orders for women's clothing brand Spanx, as seen in the following video.
Agility Robotics partners with GXO
Digit isn't even the first humanoid robot capable of working in the real world. Earlier this year, robotics company Figure announced that it would supply sleek metal humanoid robots to the BMW plant in Spartanburg, South Carolina, to be trained for staged deployment.
Digit is certainly impressive in both its crouching, backward walking, and lifting abilities, but it's still a somewhat rudimentary robot in terms of fine motor skills. Based on another bot from a company called Sanctuary AI that we reported on last month, things could change sooner than many people think. Although the bot cannot walk, it is incredibly fast and has dexterous hydraulically activated hands. So you can imagine that transforming that technology into Digit's athletic powers or other bots from companies like Boston Dynamics wouldn't be too far off. horizon.
But now Agility Robotics is confident that Digit can bring raw value to its workforce, as evidenced by its construction of a 70,000-square-foot (6,503-square-meter) facility in Salem, Oregon. Known as the “RoboFab” manufacturing plant, the facility reportedly has the capacity to produce more than 10,000 Digit robots per year.
In the following video, you can see Digit busy at Amazon's research and development facility just south of Seattle, Washington, and hear from Rich Bhone, Chief Commercial Officer of Agility Robotics.
Agility Robotics Expands Relationship with Amazon
Source: Amazon, Agility Robotics