FAQs

Commercial humanoid robots are designed to act as an extension of your current software, rather than a separate, isolated tool. They connect to systems like your Warehouse Management System (WMS) or Manufacturing Execution System (MES) through a centralized, secure, cloud-based platform (like Agility’s Arc). This connection allows humanoids to receive real-time tasks and report back on their progress, ensuring that material movement stays in sync with your broader facility goals.

By integrating this way, humanoid robots help bridge the gap between automated tools that typically don't talk to each other. For example, they can move items between a conveyor belt and an autonomous vehicle based on central control system instructions . This setup creates a more unified operation where you can manage your robotic fleet alongside your existing team.

Humanoid robots are built to take on the heavy lifting of material movement tasks that keep facilities running but often lead to human burnout or injury. 

In distribution and logistics, these robots are highly effective at managing tote based workflows. This includes loading and unloading containers from conveyors or mobile platforms, as well as the physically repetitive stacking and recycling of empty totes.

In a manufacturing environment, humanoids excel at line feeding, which is the steady delivery of components to an assembly area to prevent production downtime. They can bridge the gaps between existing islands of automation by moving parts between tuggers, carts, and workstations without needing the floor plan redesigned. By handling these high volume and low variability jobs, humanoid robots ensure a continuous flow of materials enabling your staff to focus on specialized work that requires human judgment.

A facility built for people is already optimized for humanoid robots. Since they move on legs rather than wheels, they are uniquely capable of navigating the world as we do and are designed to handle ramps, narrow aisles, and the various floor transitions that often stop traditional automation solutions. You do not need to undertake a massive, expensive infrastructure overhaul or redesign your floor plan to accommodate them; they are designed to step into your existing operation and start providing value immediately.

Beyond the physical space, readiness is simply about having a digital foundation that supports smart connectivity. As long as your facility has standard enterprise WiFi, these robots can integrate with your existing management systems to coordinate tasks. Humanoids are essentially the most adaptable tool in your toolkit, built to augment your team by working in the same spaces and following the same workflows.

Humanoid robots are a strategic tool for workforce stability, especially as global industries face a structural labor shortage. Unlike traditional automation, humanoids address this gap by handling the strenuous and repetitive tasks that often lead to worker turnover and injury. By taking over high-volume material handling, these robots allow the existing workforce to focus on more complex, higher-value responsibilities.

This partnership does more than just fill a staffing gap; it actually helps with employee recruitment and retention. When robots handle the most physically demanding parts of the job, the workplace becomes safer and more engaging. This shift elevates the role of the industrial worker, turning a physically taxing career into a more sustainable and technically oriented one. Ultimately, humanoids act as a force multiplier, ensuring that manufacturing and distribution facilities can continue to grow even when the labor market is tight.

Choosing the right financial model for industrial automation is as much a strategic decision as it is a financial one. Business leaders typically weigh Robots as a Service (RaaS) against traditional Capital Expenditure (CapEx) based on their facility's growth stage, technical expertise, and demand stability.

Robotics as a Service (RaaS) is a subscription based model that reclassifies robotic solutions as operational expenses (OpEx).

Pros:‍

• Low Financial Barrier: Eliminates the high upfront costs typical of industrial robotics, making automation accessible for small and medium enterprises.
• Speed to Deployment: Bypasses the lengthy capital approval cycles, often moving from purchase order to implementation much more quickly.
• End to End Support: The vendor typically manages maintenance, hardware repairs, and over the air software updates, reducing the need for in house robotics expertise.‍
• Scalability: Allows facilities to easily add robots to match seasonal peaks or fluctuating customer demand.

Cons:

• No Asset Ownership: The company does not own the equipment, meaning it cannot be listed as a capital asset on the balance sheet.
• Tax Implications: Since the robots are not owned, businesses cannot take advantage of the tax benefits associated with capital depreciation.
• Vendor Dependency: The user is reliant on the vendor for the technology roadmap, update cadence, and overall system availability.

The CapEx model involves purchasing robotic equipment outright and depreciating the asset over its useful life.

Pros:

• Lowest Long Term Cost: For facilities with stable, multi year demand and mature engineering and automation teams, ownership typically offers the lowest total cost of ownership over the life of the asset. However, if new headcount is required to support the deployment, costs can add up quickly and negate the lack of ongoing subscription costs.
• Strategic Control: Owners have complete control over the maintenance strategy, customization of the hardware, and integration roadmap.
• Financial Benefits: Provides tax advantages through asset depreciation and adds long term value to the corporate balance sheet.

Cons:

• Higher Initial Investment: Requires an upfront payment that can tie up cash which might be needed for other critical business initiatives.
• Obsolescence Risk: The buyer assumes the risk of the technology becoming outdated, whereas RaaS models typically include hardware refreshes.
• Internal Responsibility: The facility is responsible for upkeep of equipment and may need to pay an additional cost if maintenance or repairs are needed. For robots purchased via CapEx, Agility offers an established model for charging maintenance fees.

The difference between fixed and flexible automation lies in the tradeoff between specialized speed and operational adaptability.

Fixed automation, or hard automation, is a system designed to perform a single, repetitive task with extreme efficiency. These systems use specialized equipment for a set sequence of operations, making them ideal for high volume mass production.

• Pros: Offers the highest possible production speeds for standardized items.
• Cons: Difficult and expensive to reconfigure; even small design changes can require a total facility overhaul.
• Ideal for: Long runs of single SKU products.

Flexible automation is designed to adapt to changes in product type, design, and quantity. These solutions, like industrial humanoid robots, use programmable technology that can be updated with new software rather than physical retooling.

• Pros: Adaptable to diverse product ranges and evolving market demands.‍
• Cons: Typically involves higher initial engineering costs for the system design. This can be offset with flexible spending models like RaaS.‍
• Ideal for: High mix environments or facilities that need to bridge islands of automation within existing infrastructure.

Fixed automation is designed for high-volume, single-purpose efficiency. Some examples of fixed automation are:

• Automotive Machining Lines: Used to produce standardized engine blocks, transmissions, and chassis components.
• High-Volume Bottling Machinery: Dedicated systems in beverage or pharmaceutical plants that rinse, fill, cap, and label identical bottles at thousands of units per hour.
• ASRS (Automated Storage and Retrieval Systems): Crane or shuttle systems that move through high-density racking.

Flexible automation is designed for high-mix environments where the system must adapt to different tasks or product designs without physical retooling. Some examples of flexible automation are: 

• Humanoid Robots: Machines that can move between a sorting station, a conveyor line, and a loading dock. They handle different types of totes or parts as the facility’s needs shift.
• Automated Lift Trucks: Forklifts or pallet jacks with sensors to operate autonomously, allowing them to switch between manual and automated modes
• Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMRs): Dynamic transport fleets that navigate warehouse floors to deliver varying payloads.They recalculate their own routes based on real-time obstacles and changing pick locations

Choosing between fixed and flexible automation depends on your production volume, product variety, and how much you expect your needs to change in the future. It is a balance between reaching maximum speed for a single task and maintaining the ability to adapt your operation as the market shifts.

Fixed automation is generally the best choice for high volume, low variety work where things like the product design and/or process remain consistent. Because these fixed systems are typically bolted to the floor and integrated into the building itself, they provide the highest possible throughput for repetitive tasks like sortation, high speed, bottling or machining. This works well for greenfield facilities where you have the space and time for a permanent installation and a stable market with predictable demand.

Flexible automation is often a better fit for high mix environments where you handle many different types of goods or experience seasonal shifts in volume. Since these systems are usually software driven and do not require heavy infrastructure, they can be deployed into existing buildings without a total redesign.

In many cases, companies operating in brownfield sites benefit from using both types of automation together. You might keep a fixed conveyor system for the main sortation loop while using flexible robotics to handle the transport and manipulation tasks that lead into or out of those lines. This hybrid approach allows you to maintain high speed for your core processes while using flexible technology to bridge gaps and adapt to new operational requirements.

While AGVs and AMRs are specialized tools for horizontal transport, humanoid robots are general purpose teammates designed for mobile manipulation. The difference is the shift from just moving a payload to actually interacting with it.

AGV (Automated Guided Vehicle): Follows a fixed path, much like a train on a track. It relies on infrastructure like magnetic tape or QR codes and will stop if an obstacle blocks its path. It is best for simple, heavy duty transport in highly predictable environments.

AMR (Autonomous Mobile Robot): Navigates dynamically like a car with GPS. It uses sensors to map a facility and can reroute around obstacles. While more flexible than an AGV, it is still primarily a horizontal transport tool that cannot load or unload itself.

Humanoid Robot: A multi purpose robot capable of both movement and manipulation. Because it moves on legs, it can handle the ramps, stairs, and narrow spaces of a facility built for people. Unlike a moving platform, a humanoid uses limbs to pick up, stack, and move items, such as transferring totes between an AMR and a conveyor.

For a humanoid robot to bring real value to production facilities, you should make sure they work with existing automation. Agility's Digit is designed specifically to work with existing automation platforms like AMRs, AGVs, and conveyance.

Because warehouses are built around the human form factor, conveyor heights, aisle widths, and workstations are already optimized for a humanoid’s reach and footprint. This allows them to step into current workflows as a universal tool, bridging the gaps between separate automated systems without requiring any facility retrofitting or expensive structural changes.

Most humanoid companies are still in the pilot phase, but some safety features you should look for in commercially deployable humanoids like Agility's Digit are:

Advanced Perception and Awareness

Humanoids use an extensive array of sensors designed to maintain constant 360-degree situational awareness.

• 360-Degree Vision: Multiple cameras and LiDAR sensors provide a complete view of the environment, allowing the robot to detect people and obstacles in any direction.
• Real-Time Obstacle Avoidance: High-speed processing allows a humanoid to instantly adjust its path or stop if a human enters its immediate workspace.

Dynamic Stability and Fall Mitigation

Because humanoids move on legs, they require specialized systems to handle balance and potential falls.

• Active Balancing: The robot’s control system performs thousands of calculations per second to adjust its center of mass, ensuring it stays upright on uneven surfaces or when bumped.
• Safe-Fall Protocols: If a fall is unavoidable, such as during a power loss, the robot is programmed to fall in a predictable manner, often using its arms to brace itself and protect both nearby people and its own internal components.

Communication And Trust

Clear communication is essential for safe human-robot interaction.

• Visual Cues: Many humanoids use expressive faces or status lights to communicate their intent, such as where they are about to move.
• Redundant E-Stops: Accessible physical emergency stop buttons allow any worker to immediately cut power to the robot.

All humanoid vendors will have different strategies for the safe usage of AI. At Agility, for example, AI acts as the central control system that translates high-level data into coordinated physical movement. This allows a humanoid to navigate complex environments and adapt to new tasks without the rigid programming required by traditional automation.

Using platforms like NVIDIA Isaac Lab, Agility’s Digit undergoes extensive sim-to-real training in virtual environments. This cloud-based approach allows a robot to run through thousands of parallel scenarios simultaneously, drastically reducing the time needed to master new skills. Through reinforcement learning, Digit refines balance and object manipulation digitally before it ever touches a physical floor.

The intelligence provided by AI also enables the robot to handle the unpredictability of daily operations. If a conveyor line stops or a path is blocked, the robot can use task planning to determine the best alternative action. It can decide to buffer items to a secondary location or switch to a different workstation, serving as a general-purpose asset that can be redeployed as needs change.

The future of manufacturing automation will be about building resilient domestic supply chains by modernizing the facilities we already have. This means a shift toward making technology more adaptive so it can work within established footprints and support a shrinking labor pool. Other trends that will define the near future:

• Reshoring and labor: Significant investment in U.S. manufacturing is driving the need for automation to fill vacant roles. Automation technology is essential to sustain domestic production and reduce reliance on global supply chains.
• Brownfield focus: Most industrial growth will happen in older buildings. Next generation automation is designed to integrate with legacy machinery and navigate human centric layouts, such as ramps and narrow aisles originally built for people.
• Hybrid workflows: Facilities are moving toward a model where people and robots collaborate in the same space. AI orchestration coordinates these teams in real time, allowing robots to handle repetitive material handling while human roles evolve toward technical oversight and problem solving.

The future of warehousing is centered on smart and capital-efficient investments that prioritize the modernization of existing brownfield sites. Because constructing new greenfield facilities has become increasingly expensive and time-consuming, companies will have to seek flexible automation that integrates into current layouts without massive structural changes. This shift allows 3PLs and warehouses to maximize their current footprint by utilizing technology that can navigate the aisles, ramps, and workstations originally built for a human workforce.

This evolution positions automation as a critical enabler of human labor and a primary tool for risk mitigation. As the labor shortage worsens and turnover rates remain a foundational challenge, automated systems take on the most repetitive and physically taxing tasks to ensure operational continuity. By removing the physical strain associated with high-attrition roles, facilities can create a more stable work environment where employees focus on higher-value technical and supervisory functions.

Ultimately, the short-medium term future of warehousing and 3PL automation is a resilient operation where technology handles the predictable and strenuous work while humans manage the oversight and problem-solving. This cooperative approach ensures that 3PLs and warehouse operators can meet rising output demands even when the local labor market is tight.

As with all industrial automation, costs will vary by vendor. At Agility, the cost of a humanoid robot is designed to be competitive with traditional high end automation, but its true value is measured through its versatility and the significant non-dollar savings it provides. While specialized industrial systems are often permanent and single purpose, humanoids are a flexible asset that can be redeployed as your needs change.

In the broader landscape of industrial tools, the investment for a humanoid robot is comparable to that of a high capacity Autonomous Mobile Robot (AMR) fleet or a specialized fixed robotic cell. However, unlike fixed automation, which often requires millions of dollars in facility retrofitting and custom engineering, humanoid robots are designed for brownfield integration. This means they work within your existing aisles, ramps, and workstations, eliminating the hidden capital costs of tearing up floors or redesigning your entire workflow.

To calculate a true Return on Investment (ROI), it is essential to look at the operational costs that go beyond the hardware itself. Humanoids address several soft costs that often drain a facility's bottom line:

• Turnover and Recruitment: In many logistics environments, employee turnover exceeds 100% annually. The cost to recruit, vet, and onboard a single new worker can equal a significant portion of their annual salary. A humanoid provides a stable base workforce, reducing the constant cycle of hiring and training.
• Safety and Risk Mitigation: Workplace injuries and the resulting workers' compensation claims are a major financial burden. By taking over the dull, dirty, and dangerous tasks, such as repetitive heavy lifting or overhead reaching, humanoids significantly reduce the risk of human injury and the associated legal and insurance costs.
• Opportunity Cost: An unfilled position is lost throughput. Humanoids ensure that critical tasks, like moving totes to a conveyor, never stop due to labor shortages or call-outs, allowing your employees to focus on higher value roles that require judgment and problem solving.

Many commercial humanoids are now available through a Robots as a Service (RaaS) model. This shifts the cost from a large upfront Capital Expenditure (CapEx) to a predictable monthly Operational Expenditure (OpEx). This subscription includes maintenance, software updates, and technical support, ensuring that the technology stays current without requiring a dedicated internal robotics team.

Two primary models are currently shaping how businesses invest in manufacturing automation technology:

• Operational Expenditure (OpEx)/Robotics as a Service(RaaS): A subscription based model allows facilities to lease physical automation solutions as an operational expense. It lowers the barrier to entry by including ongoing maintenance and support in a monthly or annual fee, making advanced technology accessible without a massive initial investment.
• Capital Expenditure (CapEx): For organizations that prefer full ownership of their equipment, the traditional purchase model remains an option. This is often favored by larger operations looking for long term integration and asset management.

Beyond the initial acquisition, the true cost of automation should be viewed through the lens of long term operational savings. By strategically adopting proven technology, manufacturers can substantially reduce their ongoing operating costs and protect against the high expenses associated with labor volatility and workplace injuries. Ultimately, the investment is about building a more resilient and efficient facility that can scale with demand.

Measuring the return on investment (ROI) for manufacturing automation requires viewing it as a strategy for overall business stability. While the most immediate gains are found in direct financial metrics, the long-term value often comes from protecting your operation against the rising costs of turnover and safety risks.

The most visible impacts on your bottom line typically come from improvements in efficiency and output. For example: 

• Labor Efficiency: Automation reduces the total hours spent on high-turnover manual tasks, allowing you to reallocate labor costs toward higher-value roles.
• Throughput Gains: Robotic systems provide a level of consistency that ensures material flows steadily through your facility, which can significantly increase total annual production.

Indirect operational gains address the structural challenges of the modern supply chain, and often provide the most significant long-term ROI. They include:

• Safety and Risk Mitigation: By removing workers from physically taxing or high-risk areas, you reduce the massive costs associated with workplace injuries and OSHA violations.
• Workforce Stability: Automation helps combat the extreme costs of turnover, which can reach 300% to 400% annually in some warehouse environments. Keeping your team safer and more engaged leads to higher retention and lower recruiting expenses.
• Operational Resilience: Facilities that leverage automation can recover faster from disruptions and adapt more easily to labor volatility, ensuring that customer demand is met even during market shifts.

To determine a true break-even point, it is important beyond the cost of the initial hardware. This includes the subscription fees for models like Robots as a Service (RaaS), software integration with your existing systems, and the ongoing support required to keep the fleet running at peak performance. When balanced against the gains in safety and stability, the investment moves from being a cost center to a critical piece of infrastructure for sustainable growth.

The cost of automation in distribution and logistics is no longer a one-size-fits-all figure. For many companies, the investment is moving away from purely massive capital outlays toward scalable, results-driven solutions.

Today, vendors offer several financial pathways to bring advanced technology into your industrial environment:

• Operational Expenditure (OpEx)/Robotics as a Service(RaaS): This model allows you to lease automation solutions as a recurring operational expense rather than a single large purchase. It typically includes hardware, software updates, and maintenance in a predictable monthly or annual fee, making automation more accessible without upfront capital strain.
• Capital Expenditure (CapEx): For facilities with dedicated investment budgets, a traditional purchase model allows for full ownership of the robotic assets. This is often preferred for long-term deployments where the automation is treated as a permanent part of the building’s infrastructure.

When evaluating cost, it is essential to consider the substantial hidden expenses that automation helps eliminate:

• Reducing Labor Volatility Costs: With turnover rates in some 3PL environments reaching 300% or higher, the costs of constant recruiting and training are massive. Automation provides a stable, predictable cost structure that is not affected by labor market shifts.
• Lowering Injury and Safety Expenses: Manual material handling is physically taxing and leads to high injury rates. By automating these tasks, facilities avoid the significant financial impact of workers' compensation claims and safety violations.
• Operational Efficiency: Automation reduces operating costs by ensuring continuous material flow and minimizing the downtime associated with manual labor gaps.

Ultimately, the goal is to shift the investment from a cost center into a strategic tool that enhances human potential and positions your facility for sustainable, globally competitive growth.

Measuring the return on investment for automation in distribution and third-party logistics requires a look at how technology stabilizes your operation against high turnover and rising demand. While initial calculations often focus on speed, the most significant value comes from building a more resilient workforce and reducing the heavy costs associated with manual labor.

The most immediate impacts on your budget are found in improved efficiency and consistent output:

• Labor Efficiency: Automation handles the high-volume manual tasks that consume significant staff hours, allowing you to reallocate your team to higher-value order fulfillment roles.
• Throughput Gains: Robotic systems provide a steady material flow that is not subject to human fatigue, which can lead to as much as a 20% increase in facility throughput.

In addition to these directly attributable improvements, there are indirect operational factors that often provide the most substantial long-term ROI:

• Safety and Risk Mitigation: Removing workers from strenuous tasks reduces the financial burden of injuries and OSHA violations.
• Combating Turnover: Turnover at warehouse sites can run over 300% annually. Automation reduces this turnover by making the workplace safer and more engaging, saving you the massive hidden costs of constant recruiting and training.
• Operational Scalability: Facilities using smart automation can recover from disruptions twice as fast as manual operations, allowing you to meet customer demand even during labor shortages or seasonal peaks.

Being safety certified means a humanoid has undergone a formal validation process by a third party, such as a Nationally Recognized Test Lab (NRTL), to prove it meets rigorous standards for working near people.

Depending on the certification, some elements that might be tested are: 

• Functional Safety: Critical systems (sensors, emergency stops, and software) must work correctly even if a component fails.
• Active Stability: Unlike wheeled robots that simply stop, a humanoid must remain stable or fall in a controlled, predictable way if power is lost.
• Physical Integrity: Rigorous field audits check for mechanical, electrical, and shock hazards to ensure compliance with the OSHA General Duty Clause.

While the industry is evolving, leading commercial humanoids are validated against several key certification standards:

• ISO 10218 / R15.06: The foundational global standards for industrial and collaborative robot safety.
• ANSI/RIA R15.08: Specifically developed for the safety of mobile robots in industrial environments.
• ISO 25785-1 (Upcoming): A standard specifically for mobile robots with actively controlled stability, which includes industrial humanoid robots. This standard is currently being developed by a global committee, including experts from industry adopters and robotics providers such as Agility Robotics.

Being the first commercially deployed humanoid robot is a major shift from research and development into actual operational utility. Digit is no longer just a prototype in a lab or part of a temporary pilot program; it is a productive member of a commercial workforce, integrated into a customer facility under a formal, multi-year agreement. In this environment, the robot is expected to meet specific uptime and throughput requirements just like any other piece of industrial equipment, proving it can solve real labor challenges and deliver measurable business value every day.