Agility Robotics unveiled its next-generation humanoid robot, Digit 5, which slows or stops as it gets closer to people and, if they keep approaching, crouches and then switches off its motors. It features enhanced safety functions aimed at reducing limits that required existing humanoids to work behind safety barriers in warehouses and factories, allowing it to work in the same space as people.

On Sept. 15, local time, Business Insider and other foreign media reported that Digit 5 detects nearby people and slows or stops. If someone approaches closely, it lowers its body toward the floor and switches off its motors before contact. Agility Robotics said it designed the robot to work without safety barriers that physically separate people and robots.

Jonathan Hurst (조너선 허스트), co-founder and chief robotics officer at Agility Robotics, said the redesign of Digit 5 reflects experience gained from deploying Digit at customer sites including Amazon, Toyota and logistics company GXO. He said Digit 5 is the first official product developed based on customer demand and a model that addresses major obstacles identified after real-world deployments.

Agility Robotics is currently deploying Digit robots at nine customer facilities in North America. It said it has secured multi-year orders worth more than $300 million related to Digit 5. A securities filing submitted last week showed 2025 net revenue of $1.8 million and an operating loss of $140 million. Agility Robotics is pursuing a listing through a merger with a special purpose acquisition company, based on a corporate valuation of about $2.5 billion.

Digit 5 is designed to handle heavier work than earlier models. It changed a knee structure that bent backward into a more human-like form to increase strength for lifting and squatting motions. It can lift up to 50 pounds, or about 23 kg, about 40 percent more than the previous model.

The price was presented as an example. Agility Robotics assumed in one model that a Digit 5 unit would cost about $200,000, deployment would cost $20,000, and software and maintenance would cost $36,000 a year. Over five years, the total cost per robot comes to about $400,000. The company said actual contract terms are negotiated by customer.

The battery can work for about 90 minutes and takes about 9 minutes to charge. If the battery runs low, Digit 5 moves itself to a charging dock and connects to a port on its back. Agility Robotics said this charging method allows operation for more than 20 hours a day.

Hand parts can be swapped depending on the job. It is designed to be fitted with parts suited to various tasks, including clamp-type grippers for moving heavy items, and it plans to add components for more precise work in the future.

Digit 5 is set to launch first in North America in the first half of 2027. It then plans to expand supply to the European Union and Britain later that year.