Agility Robotics unveils Digit 5, a humanoid built to work near people without safety cages ($300M+ in orders)

2026-09-15★★★after cutoffroboticsAgility Roboticsconfidence: high

On Sept 15, 2026 Agility Robotics unveiled Digit 5, its fifth-generation humanoid and the first it designed for "cooperatively safe" work alongside people without physical barriers. It has new human-like legs with cycloidal actuators, a 50 lb repeat payload and a 90-minute battery that charges in 9 minutes. Agility reported $300M+ in multi-year orders while a SPAC merger with Churchill Capital Corp XI was pending.

Key facts

1.81 m (5'11"), 129 kg (284 lb), reach up to 2.2 m (7.2 ft)
Repeatedly lifts up to 50 lb (22.7 kg); 40% more payload than Digit 4
90-min runtime, 9-min charge (10:1), 20+ productive hours per day
Safety: 360° people detection, independent safety controller, avoid/slow/stop/sit responses, visual and audio intent cues
Swappable ISO-flange end effectors instead of human-like hands
Early access H1 2027, general availability end-2027; CE marking for EU/UK
Business: $300M+ multi-year orders (as of May 2026); SPAC with Churchill Capital Corp XI at ~$2.5B; 2025 net sales $1.8M (The Robot Report)

What happened

Agility, the company with the longest-running commercial humanoid deployments (warehouse tote moving), redesigned Digit around a safety system meant to let humanoids leave fenced work cells.

Why it matters

Certified safety near people is the main barrier to deploying humanoids at scale. Digit 5 is one of the first humanoids designed around that requirement, and the SPAC makes Agility one of the first humanoid companies to go public, though its 2025 revenue was tiny.

Unverified: Agility's own press release was not read; specs come from trade press.

Changelog

2026-10-01: created (leads run, missed pre-window item)

Sources (3)

id: 2026-09-15-agility-digit-5 · updated 2026-10-01 · open in the interactive timeline