The American company Agility Robotics, which created multifunctional humanoid robots Digit, announced the signing of a contract with Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada (TMMC), according to which these robots will “get a job” in the Japanese car manufacturer’s Canadian plants. The implementation decision followed a successful pilot project, and Toyota plans to use robots in its plants to support employees in production, supply chain and logistics operations.
For repetitive and difficult tasks
After evaluating a number of robotic solutions, the Digit robot was chosen for these purposes with the aim of improving the work experience of employees and further increasing operational efficiency within production facilities, said Toyota. To begin with, seven robots were hired, which will work in the plant where RAV4 models are assembled, and TMMC did not buy them, but hired them on the principle of “Robots-as-a-Service” (Robots-as-a-Service, RaaS).
In addition to the tasks already assigned to them, Agility and TMMC will continue to evaluate additional cases where robotics and artificial intelligence could advance the production of automobiles. The focus will be on automating extremely repetitive and physically demanding tasks that are common on production lines. This aims to reduce the workload and increase the safety of workers, allowing them to devote themselves to jobs with higher added value.
Agility Robotics’ goal is to integrate humanoid solutions that are “cooperatively safe,” meaning they are designed to work directly alongside humans. This should allow their customers to significantly expand the use of humanoid robots compared to other currently available technologies.
Integration without modification
Digit is designed as a multipurpose robot adapted to jobs in logistics and production, and is accompanied by Agility Arc, a cloud platform for managing robot fleets. The system is designed to seamlessly integrate into existing factories without the need for expensive reconstructions or space modifications, making it a practical solution in the context of a global labor shortage.
Thanks to the application of artificial intelligence, Digit can continuously learn new tasks and adapt to changes in work processes. With this agreement, Toyota joins the list of large companies, such as Amazon and the company GXO, which have already started introducing Agility’s humanoid solutions in their operations around the world.