Agility Robotics has opened a new 60,000-square-foot facility in Fremont, California, dedicated to advancing the AI software that powers its humanoid robot, Digit. The hub will be used to train, test, and improve AI systems for enterprise robotics applications.
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While Tesla is still promising Optimus will be 'useful next year,' Agility's Digit has already moved 100,000 boxes. The soon-to-be-public company is announcing its arrival with a 60,000-square-foot training center, declaring that the battlefield for humanoid robots is not in the lab, but in warehouses and factories.
Agility Robotics has opened a 60,000-square-foot facility in Fremont, California, dedicated to training its humanoid robot Digit. The site is just miles from Tesla's factory, where it plans to begin manufacturing its Optimus robot this year. CEO Peggy Johnson said she is glad Tesla is in the same area, 'because for a long time Agility was alone, and it's good to have others in the humanoid space now.'
Tesla CEO Elon Musk recently said Optimus could become 'the biggest product ever,' but only if it is 'useful outside of Tesla sometime next year.' In contrast, Agility emphasizes that Digit is already 'useful in the real world'—it has been moving totes and boxes for customers in manufacturing and warehouse environments, including Amazon, GXO, Schaeffler, and Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada. The company claims it has secured $300 million in contract orders.
Agility has not disclosed how many Digits it has built or deployed, but outside observers estimate that dozens are in pilot or revenue-generating deployments. The company cites an example where Digit has moved 100,000 totes at a GXO logistics facility. Johnson is currently leading Agility through a reverse merger, expected to make it the first pure-play humanoid robot company on the public market later this year.
Agility was founded in 2015 by a group of researchers who developed new technology for safe bipedal walking. The company is trying to leverage its first-mover advantage over newer AI-driven robot startups such as Figure, 1X, The Bot Company, and Sunday Robotics.
Although Transformer-based neural networks have brought significant advances to robot behavior, Agility takes a pragmatic approach to autonomy. Co-founder and Chairman Damion Shelton uses the example of autonomous vehicles: 'You don't want the anti-lock brake controller to be AI-controlled. Humanoid robots are similar; all safety-related functions need to go through a non-generative AI path.'
However, generative AI plays a role in scaling. Shelton recalls board member Bruce Leak asking how to write applications for the robot, and at the time there was no good answer. 'The number of things a robot can do far exceeds the number of engineers who can program them. Generative AI clearly answers that question.' The new training center aims to accelerate deployment; Johnson says more than 30 customers are in talks to deploy Digit, and the facility will allow robots to learn new skills in environments that mimic real-world conditions.
Unlike many new entrants, Agility does not plan to offer a home humanoid robot in the near term. This view aligns with most independent robotics experts, who believe that even the most capable robots today are not safe enough for consumer use. Digit currently operates only in human-free zones, but the 5th generation, expected this fall, will have the ability to perceive humans and will no longer need to be isolated in robot-only areas.
Co-founder and Chief Robotics Officer Jonathan Hurst says that manufacturing and logistics alone provide enough work to keep Agility busy. 'Start with boxes and totes, then do picking and kitting, then handle cardboard (which is hard), and loading and unloading trailers. That gives us 100 million robots and a trillion-dollar company.'
This article is based on a TechCrunch report from July 17, 2026, with information sourced from Agility Robotics executive interviews and company public statements. Contract order amounts, customer lists, and handling volumes are company claims and have not been independently verified. Digit deployment numbers are external estimates.
By opening a training center, advancing toward a public listing, and emphasizing real revenue generation, Agility Robotics is establishing a 'pragmatic' benchmark in the humanoid robot race. Its location choice competing with Tesla, cautious approach to safety and AI, and decision to stay out of the home market for now collectively outline a commercialization path distinct from hype-driven narratives.
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