Agility's new humanoid robot can squat to avoid hitting people

Agility Robotics unveiled a humanoid robot designed to stop or crouch when it detects a nearby human coworker, rather than requiring a safety cage. The goal is to let the robot work directly alongside people on a factory or warehouse floor.

Why it matters: Removing the cage requirement is the main practical barrier to deploying humanoid robots in existing warehouses and factories without costly retrofits, so proximity-safety behavior like this matters more for real deployment speed than raw dexterity specs.