Original title: This walking package-delivery robot is now for sale)

Netease Technology News January 9th, according to foreign media reports, the US startup Agility Robotics announced that it has now started selling the biped robot Digit, which sells for hundreds of thousands of dollars. Automaker Ford purchased the first two robots to study the "last mile" express delivery business.

Digit is about the size of an adult. It can operate semi-automatically in various environments with the help of lidar and other sensors. Digit's arms can carry boxes weighing up to 18 kg. Agility Robotics said Digit can be widely used in logistics, remote warehouse control and industrial inspection.

Digit can perform some operations automatically, but it cannot adapt to new environments as easily as humans. As you can see from the video, the latest version of Digit can lift a box. According to Agility Robotics, robots moving boxes are "fully automatic", but must be handled by a person.

The company's CEO, Damion Shelton, said in an interview that Digit's starting price is currently "the low-end of the six-digit figure." Taking into account maintenance and the life expectancy of the robot, Shelton estimates that the operating cost per hour is about $ 25.

"This represents a 'fully operational (robot)' price," he said. "(Customers can) take Digit out of the shipping box, charge it, start it, and start developing or using it."

Ford purchased the first two robots for the express delivery business research. Ford said Digit could be placed behind a self-driving delivery van with the task of delivering packages to customers' doorsteps. The bipedal design of the robot allows it to move in a variety of environments, including climbing stairs and crossing obstacles.

Digit's production is very small. The first mass production is only 6 units, and Agility Robotics expects to produce only 20 to 30 robots by 2020. The company says that by 2021, this proportion will at least double, but even so, this robot will not affect the job market in the next few years.

However, the launch of Digit is an important milestone. It is the world's first biped robot to be sold. (Chen Chen)

Source: Netease Technology Report, translated by Google Translate

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