Sep 23, 2026

Agility Unveils Digit 5 Humanoid: Proprietary Cycloidal Actuators Lift Payload 40%

On September 15, 2026, Agility Robotics unveiled Digit 5, the next generation of its general-purpose humanoid robot, in Salem, Oregon. It is Agility's first humanoid engineered for cooperatively safe work at scale — designed to work in close proximity to people without the physical safety barriers that traditional automation requires. The company also disclosed more than $300 million in multi-year customer orders for Digit 5 as of May 2026.

Hardware Upgrades: Proprietary Cycloidal Actuators Drive a 40% Payload Gain

Digit 5's hardware changes are built on three years of customer feedback from Digit 4, and they center on the legs:

40% more payload — a new leg design powered by proprietary cycloidal actuator technology lets Digit 5 repeatedly lift up to 50 lb (22.7 kg), covering full single-person lift tasks in OSHA-regulated facilities;
9-minute charging — a new 90-minute runtime battery charges in just 9 minutes, lifting the run-to-charge ratio from 2:1 on Digit 4 to 10:1 and enabling more than 20 hours of productive work per day;
Swappable end-effectors — an ISO-standard mounting flange allows grippers and tools to be changed per task, from tote handling to machine tending;
Higher reach — at 284 lb (129 kg) and 5'11" (1.81 m), Digit 5 reaches up to 7.2 ft (2.2 m), up from Digit 4's 5.5 ft, matching shelves, aisles, and workstations built for people.

Safety Architecture: From Cages to Working Alongside People

Digit 5's safety architecture has three layers: proprietary AI algorithms and multiple sensor types continuously detect people and autonomously avoid, stop, or assume a seated position; visual and auditory cues communicate motion intent to people nearby; and an independent safety controller triggers instant responses when a person enters an unsafe distance. Agility is the first launch partner for NVIDIA's Halos for Robotics platform, and contributes to both the ANSI/A3 TR R15.108 technical report and ISO 25785-1, the first international safety standard for humanoids. Digit was previously the first humanoid to pass an independent field evaluation for OSHA-administered industrial safety standards on a customer production line.

Commercial Traction

Digit holds the longest tenure of any humanoid actively working in industrial facilities, with Digit 4 logging over 65,000 operational hours across customer sites including GXO, Schaeffler, Amazon, and Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada. At GXO's Flowery Branch facility near Atlanta, Digit 4 passed a cumulative 100,000-tote milestone at roughly 98% on-task accuracy. Digit 5 is assembled at Agility's RoboFab facility in Salem, designed for up to 10,000 robots per year at full capacity. Early access is expected in the first half of 2027, with general availability for manufacturing, warehouse, and distribution operators by the end of 2027 — and, for the first time, commercial deployment in the EU and UK.

Why It Matters

Digit 5's legs run on cycloidal actuators rather than harmonic ones — in lower-limb joints that take repetitive impacts and high loads, impact resistance and rigidity outrank ultimate precision, which matches the industry's mainstream selection logic (see our comparison in Types of Robot Joint Actuators). The broader signal is that humanoid makers are turning actuators from purchased parts into strategic in-house technology: Agility develops its own cycloidal actuators, and LG is building its AXIUM production line. Competition in high-load leg joints is intensifying, and planetary robot actuators for humanoid lower limbs are another mainstream route on the same design logic.