Exploring Today’s Humanoid Robots and Tomorrow’s Possibilities

Humanoid robots like Agility Robotics' Digit could revolutionize workplaces by taking on repetitive and strenuous tasks, making processes more efficient and less labor-intensive. At the recent WSJ Tech Live conference, Peggy Johnson, CEO of Agility Robotics, explained how Digit—a versatile humanoid robot—was designed to operate in environments built for humans, handling tasks that often prove exhausting or undesirable for human workers, especially in fields like logistics and warehousing.

Currently, Digit is employed at GXO, a logistics provider, where it performs repetitive work, transferring products from autonomous mobile robots onto conveyor belts. This use of Digit highlights the potential for robots to take over routine and physically taxing jobs that most people avoid. Rather than replacing human workers entirely, Digit’s deployment frees employees to focus on more complex or supervisory roles, with some workers transitioning from physical tasks to managing and overseeing robotic operations. Johnson emphasized that this shift offers employees a chance to upskill into "digital" roles, moving from manual labor to fleet management and robot coordination.

To facilitate seamless human-robot interaction in the future, Agility Robotics is focused on advancing Digit’s safety capabilities. Currently confined to specific work areas (or "work cells"), future versions of Digit will incorporate "cooperative safety" measures, enabling it to safely navigate spaces shared with human workers. This advancement, expected within two years, will allow Digit to move outside restricted zones, retrieving items from across facilities and working alongside humans without needing physical barriers.

The cost of Digit, which currently sits around the price of a luxury car (between $100,000 and $200,000), is another factor impacting adoption. However, Agility Robotics is exploring a "robots as a service" model, allowing companies to rent Digit on a monthly basis. This approach reduces the upfront investment and makes testing and integrating robotic technology more accessible for businesses. Additionally, Johnson indicated that production at scale would bring down costs, making robots more affordable and commercially viable over time.

Another unique feature of Digit is its adaptability, enabled by AI and language models that interpret text or voice commands, allowing it to quickly learn new tasks. This capability was demonstrated at the conference when Digit successfully sorted laundry by identifying and placing a specific item into a hamper. Agility Robotics plans to enhance Digit’s functionality by making its hands interchangeable in future iterations, adding a wide range of tools based on task requirements. This modularity further expands Digit’s potential across different sectors, even envisioning its use in homes as it gains new skills and tasks become increasingly automated.

The humanoid design of Digit was also a deliberate choice, as Johnson highlighted, because the human-built environment demands a robot capable of moving through narrow aisles and reaching high shelves. By aligning robot design with the dimensions and constraints of human spaces, Agility Robotics aims to optimize Digit’s utility and ensure it can effectively operate in workplaces designed for human accessibility.

In summary, humanoid robots like Digit stand poised to transform the workplace by handling repetitive, strenuous, or hazardous tasks, thus allowing humans to focus on strategic and supervisory roles. With advances in safety, cost-reduction strategies, and enhanced capabilities powered by AI, these robots could become integral to industries from logistics to manufacturing—and potentially even in everyday home environments.