INTERVIEW: Agility Robotics CEO Peggy Johnson told Mobile World Live the company’s humanoid robot Digit will work alongside humans rather than replace them, aiming to plug labour shortages and boost efficiency across industries.

Johnson said Digit is designed to perform repetitive and physically demanding tasks including material handling and warehouse operations, explaining such menial roles often go unfilled due to their monotonous nature and potential for physical injury. Instead of replacing human workers, she argued that robots like Digit will alleviate strain on employees at warehouse facilities, allowing them to take on higher-value strategic responsibilities.

“Humanoid robots are here right now,” Johnson stated, highlighting that Digit is already deployed in logistics warehouses including GXO, a global contract logistics provider based in the US. The robot is used to pick up and transport items, working alongside autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) to streamline operations.

Johnson also highlighted the role of AI in optimising Digit’s functionality. Agility Robotics integrated large language models (LLMs) to enable Digit to learn new tasks quickly and respond to verbal commands. “We intentionally decided to be LLM-agnostic, because robotics foundation models are still in their infancy,” Johnson added, confirming that Digit can integrate with multiple AI models, including Google’s Gemini and OpenAI’s ChatGPT.

Robots, humans couple up
Looking ahead, Agility Robotics aims to extend Digit’s capabilities beyond industrial settings and into homes. Johnson acknowledged that safety remains a prime concern for humanoid robots operating in close proximity to humans. “Right now, all humanoids operate inside of a work cell — a small gate with no humans in there” she explained. However, by the end of the year, the company plans to demonstrate cooperative safety, allowing Digit to move freely among human workers.

Johnson also outlined the company’s robot-as-a-service model, which offers Digit on a subscription basis rather than requiring an upfront purchase. She explained many companies start with a small number of units before scaling up.

Click here to watch the interview in full.