Agility Robotics confirmed Thursday that it had laid off a “small number” of employees. The cash-rich, Oregon-based company says the job losses are part of a company-wide focus on commercialization efforts.
“As part of Agility's continued efforts to build the company for success, we have decided to part ways with a small number of employees who were not central to core product development and commercialization,” the company said. said in a statement provided to TechCrunch. “At the same time, we are focused on meeting the extraordinary demand for bipedal robots in all industrial applications. “It means adding new roles to help us achieve our goals. We believe today's actions will allow us to focus on the areas that will drive Digit's productization, commercialization and production.”
Agility was ahead of the curve in industrial humanoids with the bipedal robot Digit. The company spun out of research conducted at Oregon State University. Interest in robots with their impressive legs has continued over the years. Ford was an early champion as Agility explored the potential of his Digit's last mile delivery. But those efforts were ultimately put on the back burner as the company shifted its focus to understaffed warehouses.
Despite the overall slowdown in investment and deployment of robotic systems, there is no lack of funding for agility initiatives, both of which can be seen as adjustments after the massive boom caused by the pandemic. can.
Two years ago this month, the company announced a $150 million Series B. Notably, Amazon participated in this round through its Industrial Innovation Fund. The retail giant later announced that it would be piloting Digits as part of its fulfillment center workflow. The pilot has since ended, but neither company has announced next steps.
A number of other humanoid robot companies have announced their own Pilots in recent months, including Figure with BMW and Apptronik with Mercedes. At his Modex last month, Agility showcased an update to his Digit end effector designed specifically for automotive manufacturing workflows.
Agility has also gained a lot of attention over the past year, with Magic Leap CEO Peggy Johnson joining as CEO, Fetch CEO Melonee Wise as CTO, and former Apple and Ford executive Aindrea Campbell as COO. We have hired people to collect.
The company's jobs page currently lists five open positions, primarily focused on engineering and manufacturing.