Agility Robotics on September 15 pulled the wraps off Digit 5, the fifth generation of its bipedal humanoid robot for factories and warehouses, ratcheting up payload, charging speed and safety in what the Oregon-based firm frames as its first "cooperatively safe" humanoid.
Hardware: More Muscle, Faster Turnaround
Digit 5 stands 5 feet 11 inches, weighs 284 pounds and lifts a 50-pound payload - a 40% increase over Digit 4 - while extending its reach to 7.2 feet from 5.5 feet. Runtime holds at roughly 90 minutes per charge, but Agility now recharges the robot in nine minutes, delivering a 10-to-1 run-to-charge ratio versus 2-to-1 previously. The new platform can depalletize, tend machines, kit, sequence, inspect and palletize end-to-end under the Arc management system, which coordinates handoffs with autonomous mobile robots and warehouse software.
Three New Safety Systems For Human-Robot Work
Digit 5 debuts three primary safety mechanisms designed to let it operate closer to people: AI-driven human detection using multiple sensors to avoid, stop or sit as personnel approach; visual and audible safety cues that communicate intent; and an independent motion-safety controller that triggers protective responses without waiting on the main compute stack. Agility says the combination is intended to let manufacturers finally deploy humanoids alongside human colleagues rather than in fenced-off cells.
Pricing, Availability And What It Means For The Race
Early customer access opens in the first half of 2027, with general availability at the end of 2027. Digit 5 will be offered as Robots-as-a-Service at roughly $8,500 per month plus a $25,000 deployment fee, or purchased outright at about $200,000 with $20,000 deployment and $36,000 annually for software and maintenance. Agility is planning its first international launch in the EU and UK, adding a European footprint on top of its recently opened Fremont Physical AI Hub. The upgrade lands as Agility prepares to trade under AGLT following its $2.5B SPAC merger with Churchill Capital, and as rivals such as Figure and Apptronik push their own next-gen humanoids toward customer shipments.
Reporting based on coverage from The Robot Report, The AI Insider and Agility Robotics materials.