n TECHNOLOGY 24 October 2026 www.drivesncontrols.com THE US HUMANOID ROBOTICS and physical AI developer, Agility Robotics, has unveiled a next-generation humanoid robot designed to work close to people without needing safety barriers. For the first time, Agility plans to make its new Digit 5 humanoid available outside North America, starting with the UK and EU. Based on more than 65,000 hours of operation and commercial deployments of the previous Digit 4 generation, the robot will be able to take on industrial tasks such as palletising, machine tending, kitting, sequencing and quality inspection. It will handle 40% higher payloads than Digit 4, have a taller reach, and be able to recharge its battery quicker for longer operating times. Agility says that safety has been one of the biggest obstacles to scaling humanoid robots in commercial settings. The safety architecture of the new humanoid incorporates: n Safe human detection using proprietary AI algorithms and multiple sensors to monitor for the presence of people and take appropriate action by autonomously avoiding, stopping or sitting down. n Visual and auditory safety cues to convey motion intent and to alert people nearby. n An independent safety controller that oversees the robot’s response to people detected at an unsafe distance, and triggers the appropriate responses “instantly”. “Digit 5 is removing a major barrier to scaling humanoid robots in industrial environments," says Agility Robotics’ CEO, Peggy Johnson. “We built it to the exact requirements our customers gave us after three years of Digit 4 working on their production floors. The market has responded with more than $300m in multi-year orders and a growing pipeline of customers across manufacturing, warehousing and logistics. That's value that compounds as Digit's capabilities expand, backed by real demand." Digit 5 is the first humanoid to incorporate Nvidia's recently launched Halos for Robotics platform, pairing Agility's systems with Nvidia’s IGX Thor and Halos Core infrastructure. “Safely operating around people and assets is what moves humanoid robots from pilots to industrial deployments at scale,” says Deepu Talla, Nvidia’s vice-president of robotics and edge AI. “Agility's Digit 5 is building on more than 65,000 hours of realworld operation and pairing its new safety architecture developed on top of Nvidia IGX Thor and Halos safety framework for Robotics to help humanoids collaborate safely in factories and warehouses.” Agility is also helping shape the standards that govern safe robotics, as a project leader and contributor to the ANSI/A3 TR R15.108 report being developed for industrial mobile robots, including humanoids in the US and Canada, and to ISO 25785-1 – the first international safety standard for humanoids. Compared to the earlier Digit 4 machine, the new humanoid incorporates hardware upgrades including: n 40% higher payloads A new leg design, powered by a proprietary cycloidal actuator technology, withstands repetitive lifting and lets Digit 5 lift loads up to 22.7kg repeatedly, allowing it to perform single-person lift tasks. n Faster autonomous charging for extended working times The 90-minute runtime battery charges in 9 minutes, allowing more than 20 hours of productive work in a 24-hour day. n Swappable end-effectors A swappable gripper design with ISO mounting flanges allows Digit’s tools to be changed, boosting productivity while tackling tasks from tote handling to machine tending. n Higher reach with a human-scale footprint Digit 5 weighs 129kg, is 1.81m tall, can reach heights of 2.2m, and can move through the same aisles and doors as humans. Together these upgrades are said to enable a Digit 5 robot to take on work that used to require specialised approaches at each stage, and to remove constraints on scale. Since its first commercial deployments, the Digit 4 humanoid has focused on automating tote-based material-handling applications. Digit 5 will add more skills and handle full workflows from depalletising goods as they arrive, to machine tending, kitting and sequencing, quality inspection, and palletising for shipment. Using Agility’s management platform, the robot can coordinate handoffs with a facility’s AMRs, conveyors and warehouse systems, so material keeps moving between stations. Agility claims that Digit has the longest history of humanoid robots working in industrial facilities, with nearly three years of commercial deployment at customers including Schaeffler, Amazon and Toyota. At a GXO facility in the US, Digit 4 has handled 100,000 totes, maintaining a claimed accuracy of around 98%. As of May 2026, Agility had more than $300m in multi-year customer orders for Digit 5, subject to contractual milestones being met. Early access to Digit 5 is expected to start in the first half of 2027, with general availability by the end of the year. Agility expects Digit 5 to carry a CE mark and other regulatory marks for the EU and UK. www.agilityrobotics.com Next-gen US humanoid designed for safety will be sold in the UK and EU Agility Robotics’ Digit 5 humanoid robot has been designed to work safely close to people
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