AGCO to Pilot Agility's Digit Humanoid From 2027

Agricultural machinery maker AGCO has signed a commercial agreement to pilot Agility Robotics’ Digit humanoid robot at its factory in Hesston, Kansas. In a joint release on 20 October 2026, the companies said “The U.S. pilot, expected to begin in 2027” will support AGCO’s push for more flexible factories.

Agility also said the same day that battery company Nyobolt will supply the fast-charging system for its next robot, Digit 5. The pilot is a trial, not a large-scale deployment order, and the battery figures are company targets. Together, though, the news shows how Agility is trying to turn humanoids into reliable factory workers.

In brief

AGCO will pilot Agility’s Digit humanoid at its Hesston, Kansas, plant from 2027, starting with parts sorting and stacking and tote placement.
Agility says Digit 5’s Nyobolt battery will give 90 minutes of runtime and charge in 9 minutes, a 10:1 run-to-charge ratio; these are company claims.
Early access to Digit 5 with the new battery is expected in the first half of 2027.

The AGCO pilot

According to the release, Digit “will initially support key assembly and production operations including parts sorting and stacking, and intelligent placement of totes for storage.” The aim is to take on repetitive and physically demanding work so employees can focus on higher-value tasks.

“This strategic relationship views humanoid robotics and AI as essential ‘teammates’ in building flexible, intelligent factories,” said Thomas Enghof, AGCO’s director of manufacturing technology. Daniel Diez, Agility’s chief business officer, said the deal is an opportunity to “strengthen manufacturing processes, support employees in demanding tasks and demonstrate how advanced robotics can create measurable impact”.

AGCO, which owns brands including Fendt, Massey Ferguson and Valtra, joins Agility customers that include “Toyota, GXO and Schaeffler”, the release says. Companies can pair Digit with Agility Arc, its cloud platform for deploying and managing robot fleets. No financial terms were disclosed.

A faster-charging Digit 5

Agility has picked Nyobolt as the battery technology provider for Digit 5, Robotics & Automation News reported, citing Agility’s announcement. Agility says Digit 5 will deliver “90-minutes of runtime and charges in just 9 minutes, achieving a 10:1 run-to-charge ratio, up from Digit 4’s 2:1 ratio.”

Battery metric (Agility’s claims)	Digit 4	Digit 5
Run-to-charge ratio	2:1	10:1
Runtime	Not given	90 minutes
Charge time	Not given	9 minutes

Source: Agility Robotics, via Robotics & Automation News.

“For our customers, Digit’s uptime is the business case,” Diez said. “Digit 5 will deliver more than 20 hours of productive work in a 24-hour day, more than two full shifts.” Nyobolt chief executive Sai Shivareddy said the technology was chosen because Digit 5 “will need more power from a smaller, lighter pack”.

Early access to Digit 5 with Nyobolt’s battery is expected “in the first half of 2027”, with wider availability over the following six to nine months, Agility says. All of these figures are targets for a robot that is not yet shipping.

Going public

Agility is preparing to list on Nasdaq through its merger with the blank-cheque company Churchill Capital Corp XI. The release says the deal is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2026, with the combined company trading under the ticker “AGLT”. Churchill XI shareholders are set to vote on 2 November, after the S-4 was declared effective.

Our read

A named manufacturer and a credible fix for battery downtime are exactly the kind of news Agility needs ahead of its listing. But a pilot starting in 2027 is not a fleet order, and the 20-hour working day depends on a robot customers have yet to receive. The real test is whether AGCO moves from pilot to deployment once Digit 5 arrives.