Agility Robotics to Deploy Humanoid Robots Across Supply Chains

Agility Robotics, the company behind bipedal humanoid robot Digit, has entered a new partnership with system integrations group Zion Solutions to bring humanoid robotics to the supply chain industry.

The companies said their partnership will look to automate the typically labor-intensive tasks of bulk material handling and transport. 

According to the partners, these tasks also tend to see the highest employee turnover due to high injury rates and ongoing labor shortages, making automation solutions a growing necessity. 

Under the partnership, Agility will also provide its cloud automation platform, Agility Arc, which is used to deploy and manage Digit fleets, incorporating facility mapping, workflow definition and operational management.

“We are thrilled to be the very first systems integrator to introduce humanoid robotics as a solution,” said Jim Shaw, Zion Solutions’ president. “We believe that in the not-so-distant future, this technology will revolutionize how humans and robots work alongside each other in warehouses,

“Agility’s Digit, which became the first humanoid robot operational in a live warehouse environment in 2023, is already transforming collaborative workflows.”

Digit is a multi-purpose, logistics robot, designed for repetitive and heavy tasks such as bulk material handling in warehouses and distribution centers. It also incorporates AI models so it can autonomously adapt to ever-changing workflows. 

Related:Amazon to Test Agility Robotics’ Humanoid Robot

Digit was deployed at an Amazon warehouse in Seattle in March, as part of a test project for a possible wider-scale rollout. 

According to Amazon, the humanoid robot is initially being rolled out to help with the repetitive task of tote recycling and will progress to additional tasks pending the pilot’s success. 

“We believe that there is a big opportunity to scale a mobile manipulator solution, such as Digit, which can work collaboratively with employees,” Amazon said in a statement.