{"version":1,"type":"story","url":"https://digestai.news/story/agility-and-fort-partner-to-expand-digit-5s-off-robot-safety-system","json":"https://digestai.news/story/agility-and-fort-partner-to-expand-digit-5s-off-robot-safety-system.json","markdown":"https://digestai.news/story/agility-and-fort-partner-to-expand-digit-5s-off-robot-safety-system.md","slug":"agility-and-fort-partner-to-expand-digit-5s-off-robot-safety-system","headline":"Agility and FORT partner to expand Digit 5’s off-robot safety system","summary":"Agility Robotics and FORT Robotics signed a memorandum of understanding on October 1, 2026, to develop an off-robot safety interface for Digit 5, Agility’s next-generation humanoid robot. The **Offboard Safety Bridge** extends Digit 5’s onboard safety architecture by integrating with external systems, aiming to enhance safety in industrial environments like warehouses and manufacturing. This follows a multi-year collaboration, including FORT’s embedded technology in earlier Digit models and a custom pendant sled for emergency overrides.\n\nThe partnership also establishes an operating framework for joint hardware development, regulatory compliance, and deployment support. Agility’s Digit 5, unveiled on September 15, 2026, is designed for cooperative work near humans without physical barriers. Its predecessors have accumulated over **65,000 hours** of operation across sites like GXO, Amazon, and Toyota. Early access to Digit 5 begins in the first half of 2027, with full availability by year-end.","keyPoints":["Agility and FORT partner to build an off-robot safety interface for Digit 5’s industrial deployments","FORT’s technology already embedded in Digit models, now expanding to a multi-layered safety architecture","Digit 5’s predecessors logged 65,000+ hours across GXO, Amazon, and Toyota sites"],"whyItMatters":"The partnership accelerates humanoid robot safety in human-proximity work, addressing a key barrier to adoption in logistics and manufacturing. FORT’s offboard systems complement Agility’s onboard controls, potentially setting a new standard for scalable, certified safety in physical AI.","category":{"slug":"robotics","name":"Robotics & Physical AI","url":"https://digestai.news/category/robotics"},"entities":{"companies":["Agility Robotics","FORT Robotics","GXO","Schaeffler","Amazon","Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada"],"models":[],"people":["Pras Velagapudi","Samuel Reeves"]},"firstPublishedAt":"2026-10-01T11:21:02Z","updatedAt":"2026-10-01T11:21:02Z","sourceCount":1,"hasPrimarySource":false,"sources":[{"outlet":"Unite.AI","title":"Agility Robotics, FORT Robotics Sign MOU to Advance Digit 5 Safety","url":"https://unite.ai/agility-robotics-fort-robotics-sign-mou-to-advance-digit-5-safety","publishedAt":"2026-10-01T11:21:02Z","type":"press","primary":false,"lead":true}],"sourceNotes":null,"discussions":[],"thread":{"title":"Digit 5 Evolution of a Humanoid Worker","url":"https://digestai.news/thread/agility-robotics-unveils-digit-5-humanoid-with-new-legs-batteries-and-safety","storyCount":3},"cite":{"text":"Digest AI, \"Agility and FORT partner to expand Digit 5’s off-robot safety system\", 1 October 2026, https://digestai.news/story/agility-and-fort-partner-to-expand-digit-5s-off-robot-safety-system","publisher":"Digest AI","title":"Agility and FORT partner to expand Digit 5’s off-robot safety system","datePublished":"2026-10-01T11:21:02Z","url":"https://digestai.news/story/agility-and-fort-partner-to-expand-digit-5s-off-robot-safety-system"},"generatedBy":"Written by Digest AI's editorial model from the linked sources; the sources are the record.","license":"Headlines, digests and key points are written by Digest AI and may be quoted with a link to the story page. Linked articles belong to their publishers. Terms: https://digestai.news/terms#reuse"}