Agility Robotics is a leading developer in humanoid robotics and will launch the first safety-certified robot in the world by the end 2025. This milestone marks an important step in the evolution and automation of robots, allowing them to work safely with human employees without safety cages.

Daniel Diez (Chairman of Strategy at Agility Robotics) emphasized the company’s mission in addressing the growing labour shortage by using its humanoid robotics.

“Right Now, in the US, there are more than a million positions unfilled in materials handling. These repetitive, injury-prone positions are characterized by high absenteeism. Humanoid robots that have two legs and two hands are a great way to fill the massive labour gap, which is growing,” Diez explained during a conversation with CNBC TV18 at the Web Summit.

Digit, the flagship humanoid robotics robot from Agility Robotics, is already having an impact on industrial settings. Diez stated that Digit was the only humanoid robotic system available commercially capable of performing tasks within the workforce. “We have great customers like GXO – the major logistics player – and Schaeffler – a huge automotive part manufacturer. Digit is working in these facilities to move materials and lower the cost of labor,” he said.

Robot-as-a-Service model (RaaS), which is offered by the company, has made it easier for businesses to adopt this technology because they can see an immediate return on their investment. “We look at the actual labour costs of the task that we’re undertaking and price our robots based on a discounted rate of the fully burdened human labor rate.” This pricing model allows customers to see a return on investment almost instantly,” Diez said.

Agility Robotics believes that humanoid robotics have a great deal of potential in industries like pharmaceuticals and retail. Diez believes that the company’s introduction of a safety certified robot by 2025 will unlock new automation opportunities. “The ability to deploy at scale is almost infinite for us,” He concluded.

The following are excerpts from the interview.

Q: Your robot’s name is Digit. Could you tell us what makes Digit different from other robots on the market?

Diez: Digit is currently the only robot available for commercial purchase. It’s currently the only robot that is actually working. We have great customers like GXO – the major logistics player – and Schaeffler – a huge automotive part manufacturer. Digit is working in these facilities to move materials and lower labour costs. This is a major part of our goal. Fill the labour gap at a cost that is competitive with what a fully-burdened human would cost. Human labour is so scarce in these areas that companies can choose where to use humanoid technology and where to use people.

Q: You mentioned that you work with companies like Schaeffler, etc. If you could tell us how you build efficiency for these companies, and how the business model works?

Diez: This RaaS model – robot as a Service – was the most popular. We price the robot by comparing the actual labour costs of the task to be performed. We can get a facility up and running in a matter of days. The pricing model allows the customer to see almost immediate ROI. Agility’s margins are great, and the customer sees immediate value.

Q: You are looking at the RaaS model as you have said, but what do you think of its future? Where do you think these humanoid robotics will be able to make an impact in the future, even in other sectors? Right now, it’s all about backend, logistics and everything else. Where do you see it growing? What do you see the future as?

Diez: I think that logistics is a field where there is a clear interest and need. Manufacturing is another area. We are receiving a lot of interest in the automotive industry. Schaeffler provides a good example. Agility is also a major supplier to the automotive industry in Germany, Japan and the US. The pharmaceutical industry and retail, starting at the backend, but moving to the floor. Safety is a major barrier to the scale of humanoid robotics, and not just Digit but all humanoid robotics. Agility will be first to create a robot that can safely work around people by the end of 2025, meaning that these safety cages they are currently working in will disappear. The ability to deploy at a large scale is almost limitless for us.

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