Digit robots from Agility Robotics are designed for industrial settings and will unload totes of auto parts from an automated warehouse tugger, bridging two production lines.

Toyota aims to boost team member experience and operational efficiency, acknowledging that deploying humanoid robots in real workplaces is complex despite lab demonstrations.

The deal broadens Toyota’s lean manufacturing initiative and places Digit in a competitive field with other humanoid robotics firms like Figure, Apptronik, Agibot, Unitree, and UBTech in the global market.

Peggy Johnson, CEO of Agility Robotics, highlights collaboration with Toyota to integrate Digit into production and envisions a next-generation Digit capable of safely working alongside humans to scale humanoid use.

The partnership marks a milestone for humanoid robots in automotive manufacturing, following Digit’s deployments with GXO, Schaeffler, and Amazon.

Agility announces a commercial Robots-as-a-Service deal with Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada to have Digit assist in building the RAV4 for North America after a successful pilot.

Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada has hired seven Digit humanoid robots to work in a plant assembling RAV4 SUVs under a robots-as-a-service agreement after a year-long pilot.

Industry expert Ram Devarajulu stresses that real-world task understanding and workflow integration are crucial for broader adoption of robotic solutions.

Agility leads in moving robots from labs to field use, offering Arc, a cloud-based software to manage fleets, with a focus on reducing deployment costs through AI tools.

Agility positions Digit as a leading humanoid in the market, aiming for first-to-market safety and openness for general, dynamic work settings, with collaboration signaling growing industry competition and investment.

The article places the deployment within broader industry trends, emphasizing practical value of humanoid robots in real operations, not just labs.

Agility and Toyota plan to explore additional use cases to reduce repetitive tasks for humans and focus on higher-value work, with next-generation robots designed to operate safely alongside people.