Nine minutes to charge, 90 minutes of work: Agility's Digit 5 robot gets a fast battery

US robot maker Agility Robotics has picked British company Nyobolt as battery partner for its humanoid robot Digit 5. The new battery is designed to let the robot work for 90 minutes and recharge in nine. That is a run-to-charge ratio of 10:1 – compared with 2:1 for its predecessor Digit 4. According to the companies, Digit 5 should thus be able to work more than 20 hours a day.

"For our customers, Digit's uptime is the business case," said Daniel Diez, Agility's chief business officer. Nyobolt CEO Sai Shivareddy said Digit 5 will need more power from a smaller, lighter pack in environments where reliability isn't optional. The companies did not disclose the battery's capacity, weight or charging power.

Agility unveiled Digit 5 in mid-September: the robot is about 1.80 metres tall and is designed to repeatedly lift loads of 50 pounds (almost 23 kilograms). First customers are due to receive it in the first half of 2027, with availability widening over the following six to nine months. Cambridge-based Nyobolt develops its own anode materials, cells and power electronics for fast charging.