I live in a neighborhood with a lot of delivery bots, and I can\u2019t stand having to move even one inch out of the way to let one pass. If robots must be around, I would ideally like them to avoid making their presence known at all. With that in mind, the folks at Agility Robotics are on the right track with their new Digit 5 humanoid robot, perhaps the first humanoid robot programed to strenuously avoid getting in the way of human beings.<\/p>\n
Watch how it ducks down low in what may not be, but nonetheless looks like, a display of deep respect for humanity:<\/p>\n
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Speaking to Ars Technica<\/a>, Agility\u2019s chief technology officer, Pras Velagapudi, said Digit 5 \u201cwas designed with a complex safe motion system that can take a variety of different mitigations depending on exactly what sort of human presence is detected.\u201d<\/p>\n According to Agility\u2019s September 15 press release<\/a> for Digit 5, the robot makes use of \u201cproprietary AI algorithms and multiple sensor technologies to continuously monitor for people and take appropriate action by autonomously avoiding, stopping or assuming a seated position.\u201d<\/p>\n It\u2019s clear from the release, which boasts about \u201c65,000 hours of operation and commercial deployments,\u201d that Agility wants its devices to be perceived as ready for normal workplaces, and it frequently name checks the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) in marketing materials. In November of last year<\/a>, an earlier version of Digit\u2014one you might remember for it\u2019s unsettlingly satyr-like backwards knees<\/a>\u2014was subjected to a safety test touted by a company release as \u201cOSHA-recognized.\u201d It apparently passed that inspection.<\/p>\n As humanoid robots have come to prominence\u2014particularly those Unitree robots that dazzle audiences with pre-programmed dancing and martial arts movements\u2014it\u2019s become common to see clips on social media of humanoids hurting people<\/a>. If they\u2019re going to be legitimately useful for companies like Hyundai who say they plan to mingle humans and humanoid robots in workplaces<\/a>, the companies (and their insurers) really do need to be confident that the robots won\u2019t be an OSHA nightmare.<\/p>\n Agility\u2019s release quotes CEO Peggy Johnson as saying her company is \u201cremoving a major barrier to scaling humanoid robots in industrial environments.\u201d<\/p>\n And the robot itself is not just designed to duck when a human gets near. The release makes it sound ready to work, with a 90-minute battery life, and the ability to lift 50-pounds and reach shelves up to 7.2 feet high.<\/p>\n