Digit tackles wet and muddy hills
Feb 12, 2021
It's winter in Oregon, so everything is damp, all the time. No problem for Digit!
It's winter in Oregon, so everything is damp, all the time. No problem for Digit!
We're moving! Not far, but we're more than doubling our indoor space and adding substantial outdoor test area for free-ranged robots.
GPS nav against waypoints, distant obstacle detection with lidar, local terrain mapping via stereo cams, hard real-time balance and movement. Human in the loop for filming but Digit is otherwise on its own.
Imagine. Imagine a new take on the term "workforce," where a fleet of robots assist human co-workers, freeing them to focus on inherently human tasks like decision making and creativity. Imagine true workforce flexibility, where robots learn and perform a variety of tasks, and swap places with another robot or person during peak loads. Imagine robots thoughtfully designed to be helpful and approachable, constructed to work beside people, in spaces built for people.
This is Digit. Made for work. Available today.
Digit is a humanoid robot made by Agility Robotics. Its creators say they eventually want Digit delivering things to your doorstep.
Digit's engineered to be a multipurpose machine. Meaning, it needs to be able to perform a collection of tasks in practically any environment. We do this by first ensuring the robot's physically capable. Then we help the robot perceive its surroundings, understand its surroundings, then reason a best course of action to navigate its environment and accomplish its task. This is where software comes into play. This is early AI in action.
Digit. Made for work.
Engineering a robot to perform a variety of tasks in practically any environment requires rock-solid hardware that’s seamlessly integrated with software systems. Agility engineers make this possible by engineering and designing Digit as an integrated system, then testing it in simulation before the robot’s ever built. This holistic process ensures an end result that’s truly mobile, versatile and durable.
Senior Software Engineer Daniel Piedrahita explains the theory behind robust dynamic stability and how Agility engineers used it to develop an unique and cohesive hardware and software solution that allows Digit to navigate unpredictable terrain with ease.
I tested the bipedal robot's sense of balance at the Playground. It uses standard harmonic drive motors. The real art is the passive-dynamic leg that stores and releases reflex energy in the flexible beams. The arm stubs are designed to lift something box-sized.
Digit is capable of navigating a wide variety of challenging terrain. Robust dynamic stability paired with advanced perception capabilities enables Digit to maneuver through a logistics warehouse environment or even a stretch of trail in the woods. Today Digit took a hike in our own back yard, along the famous Pacific Crest Trail.
At Agility, we make robots that are made for work. Our robot Digit works alongside us in spaces designed for people. Digit handles the boring and repetitive tasks that are meant for a machine, which allows companies and their people to focus on the work that requires the human element.
Recently Digit took in some of the sites around our Pittsburgh office. There's a lot to explore out there and no shortage of robot enthusiasts. With a strong lineage connected to Carnegie Mellon University, we're proud to maintain a presence in this great city.
At Agility, we make robots that are made for work. Our robot Digit works alongside us in spaces designed for people. Digit handles the boring and repetitive tasks that are meant for a machine, which allows companies and their people to focus on the work that requires the human element.
Agility Robotics cofounders Damion Shelton and Jonathan Hurst will showcase their bipedal fulfillment robot, Digit.
This panel is part of TechCrunch Sessions: Robotics 2022.
Agility Robotics is excited to unveil the next generation of Digit, the first human-centric, multi-purpose robot made for logistics work. Digit is designed from the ground up to go where people go and do useful work safely in spaces designed for people, starting with bulk material handling within warehouses and distribution centers.
Our robot Digit, doing live autonomous demonstrations on the show floor at ProMat 2023.
In this demonstration, Digit starts out knowing there is trash on the floor and bins are used for recycling/trash. We use a voice command "clean up this mess" to have Digit help us. Digit hears the command and uses an LLM to interpret how best to achieve the stated goal with its existing physical capabilities.
At no point is Digit instructed on how to clean or what a mess is. This is an example of bridging the conversational nature of Chat GPT and other LLMS to generate real-world physical action.
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At Agility, we make robots that are made for work. Our robot Digit works alongside us in spaces designed for people. Digit handles the boring and repetitive tasks that are meant for a machine, which allows companies and their people to focus on the work that requires the human element.
Agility CEO and Co-founder Damion Shelton joins Pras Velagapudi, VP for Innovation to talk about LLMs and why a human-centric robot like Digit makes for a perfect embodiment of AI.
At Agility, we make robots that are made for work. Our robot Digit works alongside us in spaces designed for people. Digit handles the tedious and repetitive tasks meant for a machine, allowing companies and their people to focus on the work that requires the human element.