Agility Robotics is nearing completion of its factory in Salem, Oregon, where it plans to mass-produce the first humanoid robot, called Digit. Each robot has two legs and two arms, allowing it to maneuver freely and work side by side with humans in warehouses and factories.
Agility Robotics co-founder and CEO Damion Shelton said the 70,000-square-foot factory, which the company calls "RoboFab," is the first of its kind.
Chief operating officer Aindrea Campbell, a former senior director of iPad operations at Apple and engineering manager at Ford, said that when the factory is fully completed, its annual maximum production capacity will reach 10,000 units and it will employ more than 500 employees. Currently, AgilityRobotics is focusing on the installation and testing of the first production line.
Campbell said: "This is a very difficult task, and it is not something that can be achieved by flipping a switch. It needs to be a step-by-step process. Today's inflection point is that we are opening factories, installing production lines and starting to expand production capacity and scale, which has never been done before."
With funding from venture investors such as DCVC and Playground Global, Agility Robotics beat out potential competitors, including Tesla, to complete its Optimus program to develop a humanoid robot production prototype and build a factory capable of mass production.
The Digit developed by Shelton's team has a human form factor so the robots can lift, sort and maneuver while maintaining balance, allowing them to work in environments where steps or other structures may limit the robot's use. The robot is powered by rechargeable lithium-ion batteries.
One thing Digit lacks is a five-fingered hand -- instead, the robot's hands look more like claws or gloves. According to Agility, Digit can take stairs, squat into small spaces, unload containers, move materials onto pallets or conveyors, and then help sort and load materials onto other pallets. Campbell said the company plans to use the robots to move materials in its own factories. Agility's preferred partners will be the first to receive the robots next year, and the company will only sell the systems in the short term, rather than rent or lease them.
Asked if the company was concerned that its technology would "take" people's jobs, Shelton said he envisioned Digit allowing manufacturing and logistics companies to meet growing demand, as hiring remains a challenge and many workers retire or choose to leave the industry.
Matt Ocko, managing partner of DCVC and an investor in Agility, believes that Digit should "fill millions of vacant positions that humans don't need." At the same time, he emphasized that humanoid robots designed by Agility Robotics can work safely and autonomously as "robotic colleagues".
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