Schaeffler plans global use of Agility Robotics’ Digit humanoid

Slight print are scarce on the moment, but Agility Robotics has a new strategic partnership. Schaeffler AG, a global leader in motion technology, is making a minority investment into Agility and shopping for Digit humanoid robots for use across its global plant community.

The firms didn’t declare the scale of the investment, the quantity of humanoids being purchased, or what they’ll be frail for. The Robotic File reached out to Agility Robotics and Schaeffler for more crucial points, but every firms declined to comment.

“In disruptive times, implementing innovative manufacturing choices is needed to be triumphant in success,” mentioned Andreas Schick, chief working officer of Schaeffler. “Right here, humanoids play a truly primary role. We, at Schaeffler, will combine this technology into our operations and see the capacity to deploy a main quantity of humanoids in our global community of 100 vegetation by 2030. We perceive forward to the collaboration with Agility Robotics which will stir up our activities in this topic.”

Agility Robotics received the inaugural RBR50 Robotic of the Year Award from The Robotic File earlier in 2024. It changed into known for showcasing Digit’s capacity to electrify right-world work in pilots with Amazon and GXO Logistics.

While the pilot with Amazon has been fairly quiet, GXO formally deployed a “small mercurial” of Digit humanoids at a Spanx facility in Georgia. The Digit humanoids catch totes from 6 River Programs‘ Chuck independent mobile robots (AMRs) and space the totes onto conveyors.

Agility claimed that it changed into basically the most valuable firm to commercially deploy humanoids. It also asserted that the GXO deal changed into basically the most valuable robots-as-a-service (RaaS) implementation of such robots.

Humanoid construction marches on

Many other firms are also putting in humanoids for industrial use, including Apptronik, Boston Dynamics, Figure, and Sanctuary AI, to name just a few. None of them, on the opposite hand, appear to occupy deployed their humanoids with customers beyond small trials.

“We are furious to welcome Schaeffler as a buyer and investor, and perceive forward to turning in designate in their operations with Digit,” mentioned Peggy Johnson, who took over as Agility Robotics’ CEO in March 2024. “While our technology is serving to firms esteem Schaeffler change into their manufacturing, logistics, and warehousing firms, scaling the use of humanoid robots will require them to work cooperatively with folks and exterior of the security cages they’re in on the new time.”

“I am confident that in the next 24 months, Agility would be basically the most valuable firm to carry a stable humanoid robot that will seemingly be able to work alongside of us,” she mentioned.

There currently must no longer any security requirements for humanoids. Nevertheless, assorted efforts are below manner to detect a direction forward for associated requirements. The IEEE Humanoids Look Community accurate launched a see to better know the scheme in which human-robot interaction may maybe occupy an affect on the development of requirements for humanoids.

Uninteresting final month, Boston Dynamics launched an excellent video of its new electric Atlas humanoid. The video reveals the robot going thru big automotive parts autonomously. The firm mentioned Atlas makes use of machine studying to realize its tasks and 3D imaginative and prescient to see the realm around it.

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