Humanoid robot maker Agility Robotics debuts on Nasdaq following SPAC merger

Agility Robotics Inc. debuted on the Nasdaq today after merging with a special purpose acquisition company.

SPAC deals offer an easier path to public markets than a traditional listing. In such transactions, a shell company lists its shares on the stock exchange and then merges with a private company. This deal effectively takes the SPAC’s place on the exchange on which it is listed.

Agility merged with an investment vehicle called Churchill Capital Corp XI Corp on Wednesday. The deal and certain “related financings” raised a combined $465 million, a sum that does not take into account transaction fees. Agility will use the capital to launch its latest Digit 5 ​​robot and expand production capacity.

Digit 5 ​​(pictured) is an almost 1.80 meter tall humanoid robot with a battery life of 20 hours. It moves with custom-made actuators based on so-called cycloid propulsion technology. This is a motor design that trades some speed for increased lifting power: According to Agility, the Digit 5 ​​can carry up to 50 pounds at a time.

The robot’s batteries are made by a British startup called Nyobolt Ltd. manufactured. They use niobium, a metal most commonly found in superconductors and jewelry, to speed up the charging process. Agility says the Digit 5 ​​can be charged in just nine minutes, a fraction of the time taken by previous technologies.

The robot runs some of its software on Nvidia’s IGX Thor series of system-on-chips. The most advanced chip in the range, the T7000, combines a 14-core central processing unit with a computer vision accelerator and two graphics processing units. One is an embedded GPU with 2,560 cores, while the other is a standalone chip originally designed for workstations.

Digit 5 ​​also uses Nvidia’s HALOS software toolkit. The suite includes algorithms that help robots avoid danger. Additionally, HALOS provides resources that make it easier to obtain the security certifications required for commercial use.

Agility says it has received more than $300 million in pre-orders for Digit 5. Its customers include Toyota Motor Co. and GXO Logistics Inc., a publicly traded transportation company. Agility says it also has three other major manufacturing customers and a pipeline of more than 30 prospects.

“Digit is now doing real work in customer operations, taking on repetitive, physically demanding tasks,” said Peggy Johnson, Chief Executive Officer of Agility. “By becoming a publicly traded company, we will gain access to more resources to accelerate this progress, introduce intelligent robots into more workplaces and create a future where people and robots achieve more together.”

Agility plans to make Digit 5 ​​available through an early access program in the first half of 2027. General availability is planned for later this year. The company will manufacture Digit 5 ​​at a 70,000-square-foot factory in Salem, Oregon, with a planned capacity of up to 10,000 robots per year.

Photo: Agility robotics