Schaeffler plans global use of Agility Robotics’ Digit humanoid

Particulars are scarce in the meanwhile, however Agility Robotics has a brand new strategic partnership. Schaeffler AG, a world chief in movement expertise, is making a minority funding into Agility and shopping for Digit humanoid robots to be used throughout its world plant community.

The businesses didn’t disclose the dimensions of the funding, the variety of humanoids being bought, or what they are going to used for. The Robotic Report reached out to Agility Robotics and Schaeffler for extra particulars, however each firms declined to remark.

“In disruptive instances, implementing modern manufacturing options is essential to achieve success,” stated Andreas Schick, chief working officer of Schaeffler. “Right here, humanoids play an necessary function. We, at Schaeffler, will combine this expertise into our operations and see the potential to deploy a major variety of humanoids in our world community of 100 crops by 2030. We sit up for the collaboration with Agility Robotics which is able to speed up our actions on this discipline.”

Agility Robotics gained the inaugural RBR50 Robotic of the Yr Award from The Robotic Report earlier in 2024. It was acknowledged for showcasing Digit’s capacity to carry out real-world work in pilots with Amazon and GXO Logistics.

Whereas the pilot with Amazon has been comparatively quiet, GXO formally deployed a “small fleet” of Digit humanoids at a Spanx facility in Georgia. The Digit humanoids choose up totes from 6 River Programs‘ Chuck autonomous cellular robots (AMRs) and place the totes onto conveyors.

Agility claimed that it was the primary firm to commercially deploy humanoids. It additionally asserted that the GXO deal was the primary robots-as-a-service (RaaS) implementation of such robots.

Humanoid growth marches on

Many different firms are additionally growing humanoids for business use, together with Apptronik, Boston Dynamics, Determine, and Sanctuary AI, to call a number of. None of them, nonetheless, seem to have deployed their humanoids with prospects past small trials.

“We’re excited to welcome Schaeffler as a buyer and investor, and sit up for delivering worth of their operations with Digit,” stated Peggy Johnson, who took over as Agility Robotics’ CEO in March 2024. “Whereas our expertise helps firms like Schaeffler rework their manufacturing, logistics, and warehousing companies, scaling the usage of humanoid robots would require them to work cooperatively with people and outdoors of the security cages they’re in right this moment.”

“I’m assured that within the subsequent 24 months, Agility would be the first firm to ship a protected humanoid robotic that can have the ability to work alongside individuals,” she acknowledged.

There presently are not any security requirements for humanoids. Nonetheless, numerous efforts are beneath strategy to discover a path ahead for related requirements. The IEEE Humanoids Examine Group simply launched a survey to raised perceive how human-robot interplay would possibly have an effect on the event of requirements for humanoids.

Late final month, Boston Dynamics launched a powerful video of its new electrical Atlas humanoid. The video exhibits the robotic dealing with massive automotive elements autonomously. The corporate stated Atlas makes use of machine studying to execute its duties and 3D imaginative and prescient to understand the world round it.

Apply to talk.