Agility Robotics opens humanoid robot training facility in Tesla's backyard
Agility Robotics is opening a 60,000-square-foot facility in Fremont, California, to train its Digit humanoid robots, which are already generating revenue in warehouses. The company has secured $300 million in contract orders.
Agility Robotics is opening a 60,000-square-foot facility in Fremont, California, just up the highway from the factory where Tesla is expected to start manufacturing its Optimus robots this year. While Agility lacks Tesla's capital, its robot Digit is already commercially useful, carrying totes and bins in manufacturing and warehouse settings for customers like Amazon, GXO, Schaeffler, and Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada. The company says it has secured $300 million in contract orders.
CEO Peggy Johnson noted that having Tesla in the same area is beneficial, as Agility was long alone in the humanoid space. Digit robots have moved 100,000 totes at a GXO logistics facility, for example. Agility is currently undergoing a reverse merger expected to make it the first pure-play humanoid robot company on public markets.
Founded in 2015, Agility takes a practical approach to autonomy: safety systems are not controlled by generative AI. The new facility will accelerate deployments, and over 30 customers are in talks for Digit. Unlike some newer entrants, Agility has no plans for in-home humanoid robots anytime soon. Digit currently operates in human-free spaces, but version 5, due this fall, will sense humans. Co-founder Jonathan Hurst said manufacturing and logistics alone offer ample work, from bins and totes to cardboard handling and truck loading.
