About Agility Robotics
Agility Robotics was founded in 2015 by Jonathan Hurst and Damion Shelton, growing out of years of legged-robot locomotion research at Oregon State University's Dynamic Robotics Laboratory, where Hurst was a professor. The company's earlier robot, Cassie, was a research-oriented bipedal platform used to advance the underlying control algorithms for dynamic, human-like walking and balance; that work fed directly into Digit, Agility's commercial humanoid robot, which adds arms, a torso, and a head-like sensor package on top of Cassie's leg design so it can perform practical material-handling tasks rather than just walking.
Digit is designed specifically for structured but human-built environments such as warehouses and distribution centers, performing tasks like picking up and moving totes, unloading trailers, and transporting items between conveyor systems and shelving, on the theory that facilities built for human workers do not need to be redesigned for robots that can navigate stairs, uneven flooring, and tight spaces the way wheeled robots cannot. Agility has partnered with major logistics and retail companies, including a widely publicized pilot deployment with GXO Logistics and engagement with Amazon's robotics testing programs, to trial Digit in real operational settings. The company has raised substantial venture funding from investors including DCVC, Playground Global, and Amazon's Industrial Innovation Fund, and it operates a dedicated manufacturing facility, RoboFab, in Salem, Oregon, aimed at producing Digit at meaningfully larger volumes as it competes with other humanoid robotics entrants such as Figure AI, Tesla's Optimus program, and Apptronik for a nascent but fast-growing market.
