Agility Robotics Enhances Safety Features of Humanoid Robot Digit

Agility Robotics has announced measures to improve the safety of its humanoid robot, Digit, enabling it to work more safely alongside humans in industrial settings. The company recognizes that ensuring the safety of humanoid robots is crucial to minimize risks for human workers in factories.

While safety standards for stationary robots and machinery are well-established, dynamic and mobile industrial robots, such as humanoids, currently lack such comprehensive regulations. Agility Robotics, similar to Figure AI, a competitor in the field, is developing its own safety standards to govern the operation of collaborative humanoid robots.

The latest version of the Digit robot incorporates several safety enhancements. Among these is an emergency stop button designed to halt all robot movements instantly in case of a malfunction, thereby reducing the likelihood of accidents and enhancing the overall safety for both humans and other machines. This feature includes a Category 1 stop, ensuring that power to the robot's actuators is maintained until it can come to a controlled and stable stop, preventing it from toppling over.

Additionally, Agility Robotics has integrated the FailSafe over EtherCAT (FSoE) protocol into Digit. This safety protocol guarantees secure communication over an EtherCAT network in industrial automation settings, allowing for the transmission of safety-critical information, such as emergency stop signals and sensor feedback, while maintaining real-time performance.

The robot's control system has also received an upgrade, now featuring a programmable safety controller (SPS) that meets the requirements for Performance Level d (PLd). This performance level indicates a low probability of hazardous failure occurring, specified between 0.00001 and 0.0001 percent per hour. Performance levels range from a to e, with level e representing the highest safety standard and the lowest failure probabilities.

Agility Robotics aims to further enhance the safety of its Digit robots by adhering to existing and self-defined safety standards in the future. As the industry evolves, the company is committed to ensuring that its robots can operate effectively and safely in collaborative environments.