US-based bipedal robot producer Agility Robotics has closed a $20m funding round that included electronics manufacturers TDK and Sony, which invested through TDK Ventures and Sony Innovation Fund respectively.

The round was co-led by investment firm and engineering studio Playground Global and venture capital firm Data Collective (DCVC) and also featured MFV Partners and Safar Partners. Matt Ocko, DCVC co-managing partner and co-founder, has joined the company’s board of directors.

Founded in 2015, Agility has launched a robot called Digit that is equipped with lidar sensors and a human-like gait to facilitate movement up stairs, through hallways and across uneven surfaces.

Digit is geared towards manual labour in warehouses and still needs human training before it can learn to navigate unfamiliar environments. It could also be capable of last-mile logistics activities such as bringing consumer goods to a customer’s doorstep from a van outside.

The cash will enable Agility to scale up Digit’s distribution with a view to securing orders from clients including logistics providers and e-commerce retailers. TDK will provide access to its proficiency in sensors, batteries and power management.

Agility had previously attracted $8m in an early 2018 series A round led by Playground Global with contributions from Sony Innovation Fund and Coal Hill Ventures’ Robotics Hub. It followed $100,000 from Williamette Angels Conference in 2016.

Damon Shelton, co-founder and chief executive of Agility, said: “It has never been clearer that our society’s demand for manual labour exceeds our ability to generate it safely, and it is far past time we have a solution which can work alongside humans to raise the bar on quality of life and free up human time.”

Image courtesy of Agility Robotics. The original version of this article appeared on our sister site, Global University Venturing.

Agility Robotics, a US-based producer of legged robots spun out of Oregon State University, closed a $20m round yesterday backed by Industrial Technology Investment Corporation, the VC arm of nonprofit R&D body Industrial Technology Research Institute.
The round was co-led by Playground Global and Data Collective and also featured TDK Ventures and Sony Innovation Fund, corporate venturing units for electronic product makers TDK and Sony respectively, as well as MFV Partners and Safar Partners.
Founded in 2015, Agility Robotics has launched a bi-pedal robot called Digit that has lidar sensors and a human-like gait to facilitate movement up stairs, through hallways and across uneven surfaces.
Agility has initially geared Digit toward manual labour in warehouses and the robot still needs human training before it can learn to navigate unfamiliar environments.
In addition to warehouses, Digit could also be capable of last-mile logistics such as bringing consumer goods to the customer’s doorstep from the mail van.
The cash will enable it to scale up Digit’s distribution with a view to securing orders from clients including logistics providers and e-commerce retailers.
Agility previously attracted $8m of series A capital in an early 2018 round led by Playground Global with contributions from Sony Innovation Fund and Coal Hill Ventures’ Robotics Hub. The funding followed $100,000 from Williamette Angels Conference in 2016.
Matt Ocko, co-managing partner and co-founder at DCVC, has joined the board of directors.
TDK Ventures expects to add strategic value to Agility’s technology by leveraging its parent group’s proficiency in sensors, batteries and power management.
Damon Shelton, co-founder and chief executive of Agility Robotics, said: “It has never been clearer that our society’s demand for manual labour exceeds our ability to generate it safely, and it is far past time we have a solution which can work alongside humans to raise the bar on quality of life and free up human time.”
– Feature image courtesy of Agility Robotics