Agility Robotics Raises $20 Million

On Thursday, Agility Robotics announced a $20 million in new funding. The Oregon startup plans to scale manufacturing of its bipedal robots for logistics, retail, and e-commerce clients.

“We’re having a bit of a return to U.S.-based manufacturing,” CEO Damion Shelton told the Brew. “The older arguments about cost have taken a backseat to quick iteration and more advanced manufacturing techniques.”

Last year, Agility launched Digit, a robot with two legs, two arms, an upper torso, sensors, and a tiny lidar head. Unlike many of its commercially available brethren, the robot is built to operate in human environments...like the front porch.

• Ford said in January that it would be Digit’s first customer. The company plans to eventually use Digit for autonomous first- and last-mile package delivery.
• Shelton said Agility is exploring non-logistics use cases like telepresence and “virtual tourism.”

Next steps: Agility is following a common line in the bot biz. It will initially focus on industrial “back-end work” and jobs that are “dull, dirty, and dangerous,” Shelton said.