As our knowledge of robotics continues to grow, companies are working hard to build the perfect robotic assistant for humans. We’ve already seen Boston Dynamics’ now-commercial robotic dog, Spot, perform numerous tasks with an aim to assist humans in day-to-day activities. Now, another robotics company has built a humanoid robot to run errands in your office and carry big boxes from one point to another.
Completely Head–Less Robot
Dubbed as Digit, this head-less humanoid robot has been designed to help humans in factories and offices. It has a unique design that helps it to perform various tasks such as lifting heavy boxes and carrying them from point A to point B.
Now, if you take a look at the lower part of the robot, you will notice the unusual forward-bent-knees that the robot possesses. This form factor of its knees allows it to climb steep stairs with a heavy payload in its robotic arms. Moreover, unlike other robotic assistants, Digit can actually bend and lift boxes from the floor and then carry them around in a warehouse or an office space.
Developed by Agility Robotics, the company recently announced (below) a new $20 million funding round for the robot. DCVC and Playground Global are two of the VC companies that co-led the round. And as of now, Agility Robotics has raised $29 million for Digit in total.
We're excited to announce a $20M fundraise co-led by @DCVC and @Playground_VC. With Digit now in full production, we look forward to putting bipedal robots to work in dull, dirty, and dangerous spaces designed for humans. https://t.co/wBmKIrXnhv pic.twitter.com/yDAKRtERtf
— Agility Robotics (@agilityrobotics) October 15, 2020
“It’s never been clearer that our society’s demand for manual labor exceeds our ability to generate it safely, and it is far past time we have a solution which can work alongside humans to raise the bar on the quality of life and free up human time,” said the co-founder of Agility Robotics, Damion Shelton.
You can check out the official video about Digit right below to know more about the robot, that actually looks like a headless Mr. Tumnus from “Narnia: the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe”.