Agility Robotics, the developer of the bipedal mobile manipulation robot Digit, has entered into a partnership with Ricoh USA to enhance its customer support services across North America. The collaboration, a first for a humanoid robot, will leverage Ricoh’s Service Advantage program, aiming to provide additional support for users of Agility’s robots. This initiative aims to improve the management of the technology and automation involved in warehouse operations, as the sector continues to grow.
Jim Kirby, Vice President of Ricoh North America’s Service Advantage division, highlighted the importance of keeping robotics and automation functioning efficiently in an evolving warehouse environment. He expressed enthusiasm about the collaboration, emphasizing the role of Ricoh’s global support network in ensuring operational success for Agility’s customers.
Ricoh, a company with over 80 years of innovation experience, offers lifecycle management solutions through its Service Advantage program, which helps businesses expand their services, reduce costs, and implement best practices. As part of the partnership, Ricoh will support Agility’s Digit robots and its Agility Arc cloud platform, which is designed to simplify the management of Digit robot fleets. The multi-purpose Digit robot is designed for logistics tasks in environments shared with humans, handling repetitive tasks while ensuring safety.
Rich Bohne, Chief Commercial Officer of Agility Robotics, stated that the collaboration with Ricoh will enhance customer support, providing expert assistance where needed to maximize the efficiency and safety of Digit deployments.
This announcement follows Agility Robotics’ recent partnerships with companies such as GXO Logistics, Zion Solutions Group, and Manhattan Associates. These initiatives mark the first commercial deployments of humanoid robots in the logistics sector and introduce a Robots-as-a-Service model for humanoid robots.
