Agility Robotics unveiled Digit 5 on September 15, 2026, and the fifth-generation humanoid is less a facelift than a rethink of what a warehouse robot needs to share a floor with humans. New legs and knees, a faster battery cycle and a safety architecture designed from scratch are the headline changes, all shaped by what customers asked for after three years of Digit 4 on their production floors.
Bigger, stronger, longer on shift
Digit 5 is taller and heavier than earlier models: it weighs 284 lb (129 kg), stands 5′ 11″ (1.81 m) and can reach heights of up to 7.2 feet (2.2 m), up from Digit 4’s 5.5 ft. The redesigned legs, driven by proprietary cycloidal actuators and engineered to withstand repetitive lifting, give the robot 40% more payload and let it repeatedly lift up to 50 lb (22.7 kg) loads. Padding on the knees helps it kneel, and the new legs let it squat down into a stable position for work near floor level.
Energy management got the biggest numeric jump:
- Runtime: 90 minutes on a charge
- Charging: full charge in nine minutes via a faster autonomous charger
- Run-to-charge ratio: 10:1, up from Digit 4’s 2:1
- Uptime: more than 20 hours of work in a 24-hour day
For manipulation, Agility is sticking with a two-fingered gripper, but it is now swappable thanks to ISO-standard mounting flanges, so tools can be changed for the job at hand.
Safety without fences
The real pitch is cooperative safety. Traditional industrial automation lives behind physical barriers; Digit 5 is meant to work in close proximity to people without them. Proprietary AI algorithms and multiple sensor technologies continuously monitor for people, and the robot can detect them within a 360º radius. When someone gets too close, Digit 5 avoids the person, stops or assumes a seated position, while visual and auditory cues signal what it intends to do next.
An independent safety controller oversees those responses whenever a person is detected within an unsafe distance. Agility is also the first launch partner for NVIDIA’s Halos for Robotics platform, pairing its systems with NVIDIA IGX Thor and Halos Core infrastructure.
“Digit 5 is removing a major barrier to scaling humanoid robots in industrial environments,” said CEO Peggy Johnson.
Orders first, robots in 2027
Digit 5 is still in development, and Agility notes its specifications may change. Early access is expected in the first half of 2027, with general availability for manufacturing, warehouse and distribution operators by the end of 2027. For the first time, Agility plans commercial deployment outside North America, starting with the European Union and United Kingdom.
Demand is already on paper: as of May 2026, the company had more than $300 million in multi-year orders for Digit 5, subject to contractual milestones. The previous Digit has logged more than 65,000 hours of operational time at customer sites including GXO, Schaeffler, Amazon and Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada. Production will come from Agility’s RoboFab, designed to build up to 10,000 Digit robots per year at full capacity.
The launch lands as Agility prepares to go public through a proposed SPAC merger with Churchill Capital Corp. XI that values the company at $2.5 billion. For context, Agility generated $1.8 million in net sales in 2025, which puts a lot of weight on Digit 5’s shoulders.
Earlier on GismoLand: Agility Robotics. The Digit maker walks toward Wall Street.
