Agility Robotics opens a new Digit robot training center in Fremont

In short: Agility Robotics is opening a new facility in Fremont, California, to train its Digit humanoid robots for warehouse and factory work.

What happened

Agility Robotics said it is opening a 60,000-square-foot training center in Fremont, California. The company will use the site to teach its Digit robots new skills in spaces that look like real warehouses and manufacturing floors.

The location is notable because Fremont is close to where Tesla is expected to begin making its own humanoid robot, Optimus, later this year. Tesla CEO Elon Musk has said he expects Optimus to become a major product once it can be useful outside Tesla.

Agility says Digit is already working in the real world. The company says the robot is generating revenue by carrying totes and bins in warehouses and factories for customers including Amazon, GXO, Schaeffler, and Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada. Agility also says it has secured $300 million in contract orders.

Agility CEO Peggy Johnson told TechCrunch that the new facility should help the company move faster, and that more than 30 potential customers are in talks about deployments. Agility is also preparing a new version of Digit, expected this fall, that can sense nearby humans so it will not need to stay in a robot-only area.

Why it matters

Humanoid robots are often discussed as helpers for the home, but most are not ready for that. Agility is focusing on workplaces first, where tasks are repetitive and the environment can be controlled. If robots like Digit can reliably move goods in warehouses, it could affect how quickly orders are packed and shipped, and how some manual jobs are done.

Source: TechCrunch AI