X

Digit is a robot that wants to put parcels on your porch

This little robot could team up with a self-driving vehicle to make package delivery a truly human-free endeavor.

andrewkrok.jpg
andrewkrok.jpg
Andrew Krok
Ford Digit Robot
1 of 14 Ford

Digit is the creation of Agility Robotics. The company is working with Ford to investigate the use of this robot as a last-mile delivery worker.   

Ford Digit Robot
2 of 14 Ford

This way, the process of bringing a box to your door could be a truly human-free experience from start to finish.    

Ford Digit Robot
3 of 14 Ford

Digit can carry packages weighing up to 40 pounds.    

Ford Digit Robot
4 of 14 Ford

The idea is that, after an autonomous vehicle parks on the destination's driveway, this robot unfolds and leaves the car's cargo area, carrying the box to the front stoop.

Ford Digit Robot
5 of 14 Ford

Digit can react to outside stimuli, staying upright even after being bumped.     

Ford Digit Robot
6 of 14 Ford

Leaving the house and walking down the driveway to grab something out of a self-driving delivery van might be a difficult task for the elderly or disabled. 

Ford Digit Robot
7 of 14 Ford

Ford brought up the interesting point that the AV itself can help Digit accomplish its task.    

Ford Digit Robot
8 of 14 Ford

Through cameras, lidar and other sensors, the self-driving vehicle can create a local map of the path to the door, marking trouble spots like stairs or uneven cement, giving Digit a better idea of how to get that package delivered safely. 

Ford Digit Robot
9 of 14 Ford

Don't expect anything to come of it in the next couple years.   

Ford Digit Robot
10 of 14 Ford

If anything, this shows that Ford is willing to think outside the box (or, in this case, the van) to really flesh out its potential AV services.    

Digit robot by Agility Robotics
11 of 14 Ford

Keep clicking or scrolling to see more photos of Digit.

Digit robot by Agility Robotics
12 of 14 Ford
Digit robot by Agility Robotics
13 of 14 Ford
Digit robot by Agility Robotics
14 of 14 Ford

Originally published last year. Updated with new images and information.

More Galleries

17 Hidden iOS 17 Features and Settings on Your iPhone
Invitation for the Apple September iPhone 15 event

17 Hidden iOS 17 Features and Settings on Your iPhone

18 Photos
Take a Look at Apple's iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro: New Colors, Prices and More
iphone 15 in different color from an angled view

Take a Look at Apple's iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro: New Colors, Prices and More

19 Photos
I Got an Early Look at Intel's Glass Packaging Tech for Faster Chips
Rahul Manepalli, right, Intel's module engineering leader, shows a glass substrate panel before it's sliced into the small rectangles that will be bonded to the undersides of hundreds of test processors. The technology, shown here at Intel's CH8 facility in Chandler, Arizona, stands to improve performance and power consumption of advanced processors arriving later this decade. Glass substrates should permit physically larger processors comprised of several small "chiplets" for AI and data center work, but Intel expects they'll trickle down to PCs, too.

I Got an Early Look at Intel's Glass Packaging Tech for Faster Chips

20 Photos
Astronomy Photographer of the Year Winners Reveal Our Stunning Universe
andromeda

Astronomy Photographer of the Year Winners Reveal Our Stunning Universe

16 Photos
Check Out the iPhone 15's New Camera in Action
A photo of a silhouette of buildings on the water taken on the iPhone 15

Check Out the iPhone 15's New Camera in Action

12 Photos
Take a Closer Look at the iOS Settings You Should Change Right Now
A smart man holding an iPhone 14 Pro Max

Take a Closer Look at the iOS Settings You Should Change Right Now

10 Photos
Disney Treasure Cruise Ship: Bookings Now Open for $9K+ Maiden Voyage
disney-treasure-tomorrow-tower-suite-3

Disney Treasure Cruise Ship: Bookings Now Open for $9K+ Maiden Voyage

16 Photos