For years, humanoid robots have lived on the fringes of real-world industrial use—prominent in research labs and viral videos but absent from practical deployment. That era is ending. “We’re in the early stages of being able to actually deploy humanoids with customers,” says Pras Velagapudi of Agility Robotics. At the Humanoids Summit in London Rocking Robots spoke with him about the current state of humanoid robots, the challenges of deployment, and the path forward for the technology.
“With out humanoid Digit we are the first company to get a paid contract to work at a customer site”, says Pras Velagapudi, CTO of Agility Robotics. One year ago Agility secured a three-year commercial agreement with GXO Logistics. Since then, Agility’s Digit humanoid robot has worked daily shifts at a logistics facility, autonomously transferring totes from autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) to conveyors. “It’s not just a research engagement or a proof of concept,” Velagapudi emphasized. “It’s a full-shift, operational deployment.”
From Hardware to Full Solutions
While the image of a humanoid robot at work may suggest hardware alone drives deployment, Velagapudi underscored that real integration requires a complete solution. “We had to learn how to provide an entire system,” he said. “It’s not just about the robot—it’s the software, remote monitoring, customer-specific configuration, training, and support infrastructure.”
Agility’s current offering, based on its v4 platform, includes not only the Digit robot but also accessories such as a charging dock and a safety system. The latter is essential for industrial environments, where functional safety requires that the robot operate in a designated work cell. If a human enters that cell, the system ensures the robot safely powers down—crucial for compliance and risk mitigation.
This realization has shaped the company’s roadmap. Agility is now developing a next-generation version of Digit with onboard functional safety systems. This would allow humanoids to work in closer proximity to humans without requiring cages or physical barriers. Velagapudi explained, “It’s the same concept as a cobot, but we have to approach it differently due to dynamic stability.”
Safety Standards for Dynamically Stable Robots
Dynamic stability is what sets bipedal robots apart. Unlike wheeled or static-arm robots, humanoids like Digit rely on constant motion to maintain balance. That introduces new safety challenges—standard approaches like slowing down or stopping can compromise stability rather than enhance it.
Agility is helping to address this through a new ISO standard, ISO 25785-1, recently approved for development. This standard focuses on mobile robots with dynamic stability and will inform how safety zones, hazard reduction, and human-robot interaction are managed in production environments. “We want to proactively reduce risk as humans approach, rather than react when they cross a threshold,” said Velagapudi.
ROI and Deployment Models
Cost-effectiveness remains a central consideration for commercial customers. Agility offers both capital expenditure (capex) and robots-as-a-service (RaaS) models. The latter allows for near-instant ROI, particularly in logistics settings. “The monthly rate can already be below the equivalent labor cost,” Velagapudi explained. “That labor can then be reassigned, making it a flexible and attractive model.”
For capex customers—typically larger enterprises with internal automation teams—ROI timelines of around two years are common, aligning with standard expectations in advanced automation.
Go-to-Market Strategy: From Direct to Partner-Led
Currently, Agility is hands-on in most deployments, managing configuration and support directly. However, the company is in the process of shifting toward a partner-driven model. “We’re working with third-party providers and integrators,” Velagapudi said. “Eventually, they’ll handle commissioning and operations independently.”
This transition is key to scaling. As demand grows across sectors—logistics, manufacturing, even retail—Agility aims to build an ecosystem where solution providers can integrate and manage humanoids without needing deep in-house robotics expertise.
Technical Wishlist: Hands and Compute
When asked what remains on his wishlist for humanoid development, Velagapudi pointed to two areas: dexterous manipulation and onboard computing. While high-degree-of-freedom robotic hands exist, many lack true dexterity and load-bearing capacity. “We need manipulators that are both dexterous and high-load,” he said.
Advances in onboard AI processing also matter. Agility is watching developments from NVIDIA and others, which could allow more sophisticated AI models to run directly on the robot without compromising power efficiency. “AI is unlocking new capabilities,” Velagapudi said. “And onboard compute is key to scaling those in the field.”
The Road Ahead: Functional Safety and Mobility
Looking forward, Agility plans to release a functionally safe humanoid robot by the end of 2026 for the North American market, followed by a European launch. This robot will enable shared workspaces—robots and humans can operate in the same area, albeit not simultaneously on the same task—without physical separation.
That flexibility is expected to expand the use cases for humanoids. Rather than being confined to static cells, robots like Digit could perform tasks across different parts of a facility, adapting to changing workflows. As Velagapudi summed up: “The limiting factor is no longer whether humanoids can work. It’s about how much value they can deliver—and how fast we can bring that to market.”
