Agility Robotics unveiled its new human-like robot, Digit 5, on September 15. The 5 feet and 11 inches tall robot is designed to carry materials alongside people in warehouses and manufacturing facilities. Weighing 284 pounds, the machine was developed in Salem, Oregon, and can lift up to 50 pounds repeatedly while its battery can be recharged within 9 minutes.

The fifth-generation robot incorporates lessons learned from three years of customer deployments of Digit 4. Agility redesigned the hardware, power system, and safety structure after customers requested a larger payload capacity, longer operating hours, and the ability to use the robot without physically separating it from workers by barriers, according to interesting engineering.

New legs to carry heavier loads

One of the most notable changes in Digit 5 is the removal of its backward-curved legs, which resembled bird legs on the previous model. The new legs bend more like a human’s, allowing the robot to bend and pick up goods while kneeling without its ankles hitting the ground.

Thanks to its redesigned joints and proprietary circular motors, the Digit robot can carry large objects throughout an 8-hour work day. These changes have increased the robot’s load capacity by 40%, allowing it to handle loads up to 50 pounds on a regular basis while providing knee pads for support when kneeling.

The robot can also transition into a seated position and turn off its motors, which allows workers to get closer to it safely. The Digit 5’s reach has increased from 5.5 feet to 7.2 feet. Despite the increase in range of motion, it is still small enough to pass through standard doorways and work inside facilities originally built for humans.

Short charge extends operating time

The human-like robot operates on a battery that provides 90 minutes of operation before needing to be recharged. A 9-minute charging cycle can allow the Digit 5 to work for more than 20 hours per day, provided it is able to return regularly to its charging station.

The back of the robot contains a charging port, a screen that displays safety information, an emergency stop button, and a camera. Cameras, depth sensors, and inertial measurement units are spread throughout the device to monitor people, helping the robot determine if it needs to change direction, stop, or transition into a seated position.

Agility announces that Digit 5 is the first human-like robot designed to undergo a field evaluation according to the industrial safety standards of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). The company is also involved in efforts to establish safety standards for human robots in the United States, Canada, and through the International Organization for Standardization (ISO).

Designing Standards for Warehouse Tasks

NVIDIA is Digit 5's first partner in launching its security package. Agility uses NVIDIA’s IGX Thor and Halos for Robotics platforms to develop a new safety control unit and its certification path. The robot has 30 motors, with motor-level controls operating around 1,000 times per second.

The robot's handles, which are compatible with ISO standards, can be replaced with other tools, including a claw-like hand designed to handle large boxes. Agility’s Arc system connects the Digit device to warehouse or production systems and coordinates its work with conveyor belts and autonomous mobile robots, allowing one machine to perform various tasks from unloading platforms to reloading them.

Agility announced conditional commitments worth over $300 million for the Digit 5 platform starting in May 2026. Early access to the robot is scheduled for the first half of 2027, followed by broader availability later that year. The robot will be manufactured at the company’s 70,000-square-foot RoboFab facility, which has the capacity to produce up to 10,000 robots annually.