New Digit 5 Robot Delivers 20 Hours of Daily Runtime
Agility Robotics adopts fast-charging technology to significantly increase humanoid robot uptime for industrial use.
Updated on Oct. 26, 2026 in Robotics
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Agility Robotics has unveiled the Digit 5 humanoid robot, featuring a new battery system developed in partnership with Nyobolt. The technology enables the robot to achieve a 10:1 run-to-charge ratio, allowing for 20 hours of operation per day.
Why it matters
Autonomous robot fleet economics are often constrained by significant downtime, a challenge this high-speed charging system aims to mitigate for warehouse and manufacturing operators.
The Digit 5 battery system supports 90 minutes of runtime with a 9-minute charge time. This configuration facilitates a 10:1 run-to-charge ratio, a significant increase compared to the 2:1 ratio seen in the Digit 4 model.
The players
Agility Robotics
An Oregon-based manufacturer specializing in humanoid robots designed for warehouse and logistics environments.
Nyobolt
A developer of high-power, fast-charging battery technology originating from academic research at the University of Cambridge.
The details
The battery system leverages materials science research from the University of Cambridge to combine fast-charging capabilities with reduced system weight. By optimizing the charging cycle, the system allows the humanoid robot to remain active for more than 20 hours in a 24-hour window. This design addresses the physical and thermal constraints that typically require robots to remain stationary for long intervals during power replenishment.
Timeline
2019: Nyobolt launches after emerging from research at the University of Cambridge.
First half of 2027: Early access to Digit 5 humanoid units begins.
The Tech Race
The Digit 5 system represents a five-fold improvement in run-to-charge efficiency over the Digit 4, addressing the primary bottleneck of robot uptime. This advancement shifts the competitive threshold for humanoid utility, where maximizing continuous operational time is increasingly critical for industrial viability.
Warehouse and manufacturing operators can expect early access to the Digit 5 hardware starting in the first half of 2027. Following this initial rollout, commercial availability is slated to scale up over the subsequent nine months.
The takeaway
The move toward faster charging cycles marks a shift from focusing solely on battery capacity to prioritizing operational continuity in humanoid fleets. Fleet managers should watch for the early access program in 2027 to evaluate whether the 20-hour uptime metric holds up in real-world industrial throughput tests.
Further reading
For more on the current state of autonomous humanoid systems, see Robotics.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Cambridge Independent.
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