--- title: "Headless Box-Stacking Robot Ready to Be Enslaved for $250,000" description: "Robot manufacturer Agility has built a human-like robot called Digit that can load boxes onto a truck — and the company is now selling it for $250,000." date: "2020-10-19" modified: "2020-10-19" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/buy-worker-robot-stack-boxes" categories: - "Robotics" - "Robots and Machines" tags: - "agility robotics" - "robot assistant" - "robotics" - "the digest" --- # Headless Box-Stacking Robot Ready to Be Enslaved for $250,000 ![Robot manufacturer Agility has built a human-like robot called Digit that can load boxes onto a truck — and the company is now selling it for $250,000.]() *\Image: Agility Robotics\* ## Digit Worker Robot manufacturer Agility has built a human-like robot called [Digit]() that can load boxes onto a truck — and the company is [selling it for a cool $250,000](). The company announced a $20 million round of investment and is ready to go into "full commercial production." The robot's overall shape is familiar: two legs, two arms. But the lack of a head and its backwards bending knees give the illusion away pretty quickly. Digit is designed from the ground up to complete laborious tasks, including loading and unloading cargo or inspecting hazardous workplaces. But unlike a human worker, the robot can be packed into a rolling suitcase for easy delivery. ## Smooth Transition "If robots are going to be effective and useful to us they're going to have to work on our terms in our space," Agility CEO Jonathan Hurst argued in a video. In other words, getting the most out of the robot won't require any alterations to the work environment since it can already walk around like a human. https://youtu.be/e0AhxwAKL7s Agility recently struck a [deal with Ford]() to build robots that can load and unload boxes from self-driving vehicles. The news comes after Boston Dynamics put its dog-like robot called SpotMini [on sale]() last year for around $75,000. **READ MORE:** ['Digit' robot for sale and ready to perform manual labor]() \[Tech Xplore\] **More on robots:** *[Ultra-Realistic Remote Controlled Dolphin Looks Like the Real Thing]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()