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Historically, humanoids have been relegated to robotics research labs. However, the tides are changing. Several companies are developing humanoids to perform useful work in the real world. And leading the way is the Digit humanoid from Agility Robotics.

Jonathan Hurst, co-founder and chief robot officer of Agility Robotics, will keynote the Robotics Summit & Expo, which runs May 1 and 2 in Boston. The event expects more than 5,000 attendees and is designed to help robotics engineers overcome the technical challenges of building commercial robots. The Robotics Summit & Expo is produced by The Robot Report and parent company WTWH Media.

Hurst’s keynote on May 1 from 9:00 to 9:45 a.m. ET is titled “Humanoid Robots Get to Work.” It will explore the technological breakthroughs propelling humanoids like Digit into real-world use cases. Attendees will learn about the ongoing challenges and opportunities and will go inside Digit’s first pilots with Amazon, GXO Logistics, and more.

“Agility Robotics is the world’s leading developer of humanoid robots for commercial applications,” stated Steve Crowe, chair of the Robotics Summit & Expo and executive editor of The Robot Report. “Humanoids from various companies are starting to be evaluated by large companies to augment their workflows. Jonathan has dedicated his career to developing humanoids, and we’re ecstatic he’s coming to the Summit to educate us on this emerging technology.”

Hurst is also a professor and co-founder of the Oregon State University Robotics Institute. He holds a B.S. in mechanical engineering and an M.S. and Ph.D. in robotics, all from Carnegie Mellon University. Hurst’s university research focuses on understanding the fundamental science and engineering best practices for robotic legged locomotion and physical interaction.

Agility Robotics’ Digit heads out of the lab

Digit has been in development for several years now. But in late 2023, Amazon announced that it is testing Digit in an R&D warehouse near Seattle. Standing 5 ft. 9 in. (1.75 m) tall, the humanoid robot can lift and carry up to 35 lb. (16 kg).

It can crouch, reach, pick up, and put down items. The initial use for Digit is to help Amazon’s human employees with tote recycling.

“Its size and shape are well suited for buildings that are designed for humans, and we believe that there is a big opportunity to scale a mobile manipulator solution, such as Digit, which can work collaboratively with employees,” Amazon said.

GXO Logistics, the world’s largest pure-play contract logistics provider, is also testing Digit. It’s conducting a proof-of-concept pilot with Digit at Spanx’s facility in Flowery Branch, Ga. In the pilot, Digit is moving totes off of autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) and onto a conveyor. The AMRs — Chucks from 6 River Systems — bring the packed totes to a transfer station. Digit then uses its perception system to detect when an AMR has arrived.

“A lot of customers have dynamic environments, and it’s hard to predict what volumes will be during peak season, let alone Q2 next year,” Adrian Stoch, GXO’s chief automation officer, recently told The Robot Report. “How much volume will we receive in the different parts of the warehouse? That’s where having flexibility is critical. Even if that is predictable, we can potentially have Digit support the e-commerce side of the business on Black Friday and then have it walk to another part of the warehouse on any given day.”

Amazon, Disney, Teradyne, Medtronic to also keynote Robotics Summit

The Robotics Summit & Expo will feature more than 60 speakers and over 40 technical sessions. Other keynote speakers will include:

• Tye Brady, chief technologist, Amazon Robotics
• Ujjwal Kumar, president, Teradyne Robotics
• Moritz Baecher, Tony Dohi, Morgan Pope, developers at Disney
• Medtronic will demonstrate a remote robotic-assisted surgical system

You can view the complete Robotics Summit agenda here. Speakers are still being added.

Now in its fifth year, this will be the largest Robotics Summit ever. It will include more than 150 exhibitors and networking opportunities such as the inaugural RBR50 Robotics Innovation Awards Gala and a Women in Robotics breakfast. In addition, attendees can check out a career fair, an engineering theater, startup showcases, and more!

Registration is now open for the event. Register by March 8 to take advantage of early-bird pricing.