Key Points
- Spanx factory operations are to be handled by Agility Robotics in partnership with GXO.
- In Georgia’s Spanx factory, robots will be responsible for moving plastic totes.
- The latter is done through a robot-as-a-service (RaaS) model.
- Agility has the highest number of humanoid robots in real use today.
With its latest announcement, Agility Robotics has securely pushed the humanoid robotics industry forward. A formal agreement between the company and logistics giant GXO will see its humanoid robots named Digit deployed at a Spanx factory situated in Georgia.
This pivots from trying out various concepts to practical applications thereby showing how useful humanlike machines can be when used in an industrial setting.
Digit Robots in Action
At the Spanx plant, Agility Robotics’ Digit robots are going to work by shifting around plastic crates. While the exact numbers of these automatons have not been disclosed yet their duties include picking up boxes from collaborative robots(cobots) and placing them onto conveyor belts.
For this exercise, GXO has adopted a robot as a service (RaaS) deployment strategy that allows it to lease rather than buy these sophisticated systems. Typical upfront costs are avoided since support software updates continue under rent arrangements as well.
These ongoing services can help logistics companies like GXO choose a relatively low-cost option especially where maintenance is concerned as they may still require upgrades every once in a while.
GXO piloted with Digit robots last year also partnering with Apptronik,a competitor of Agility. However, there is no information on how simultaneous pilots involving these two different companies affect this firm but seems it wants to explore the potential of humanoids to improve efficiency and productivity.
ROI Focus and Real-World Impact On becoming CEO of Agility in March this year, Peggy Johnson stressed her commitment to delivering value for money – something that sets her organization apart from others in the sector. This contrasts with the industry’s general focus on unquantifiable results such as those that can be seen in humanoid robotics.
Elaborating on the deployment Johnson said, “There will be many firsts in the humanoid robot market in the years to come, but I’m extremely proud of the fact that Agility is the first with actual humanoid robots deployed at a customer site, generating revenue and solving real-world business problems.”
In terms of development and implementation, Agility Robotics has always been ahead. The latest milestone further cements this position. Although there is no clear leader yet for this nascent market of humanoids, Agility’s progress signifies that its rivals need to work harder.
Future Prospects and Industry Implications The GXO partnership together with the Spanx factory installation could result in greater adoption of humanoid robots within logistics and other industries.
Another positive indication came from Amazon when they tested out some Agility platforms inside their warehouses this October. Despite this, however, to date, no official announcements have been made about what comes next.
Increased investments and more people looking forward to similar technologies may appear as Agility Robotics continues illustrating how useful humanoid robots are being developed these days by a Robot-as-a-Service (RAAS) model can also remove barriers to entry for other companies allowing them to integrate humanoids much faster into their various operational environments.