Humanoid robot battle: Agility Robotics opens new center near Tesla factory

01:26 / 18.07.2026·22·Technology

Competition in the world of robotics is reaching a new level. Agility Robotics has launched a 60,000-square-foot facility in Fremont, California, dedicated to training and testing its humanoid robots. Notably, this facility is located just a few kilometers from the Tesla factory where the company plans to manufacture its Optimus robots. This is reported by Techcrunch.com reports .

While Elon Musk predicts the Optimus project will be the biggest product in the company's history, Agility Robotics already has a product generating real revenue. The company's robot, named Digit, is currently being successfully used in logistics and cargo handling at warehouses of giants like Amazon, GXO, and Toyota. According to TechCrunch, the company has already built a portfolio of $300 million in contracts.

Practical experience and safety issues

According to Agility Robotics CEO Peggy Johnson, having a competitor like Tesla nearby is a positive development for the industry. She notes that Agility has already passed the commercialization stage and has accumulated significant experience in integrating robots into the IT infrastructure of industrial enterprises and adapting them to safety standards.

Damion Shelton, one of the company's founders, spoke about the role of AI in robotics, focusing specifically on safety issues. He believes that critical robot functions, such as movement safety and braking systems, should not be controlled by generative AI. "You don't need 'creativity' like AI in safety matters; these systems must operate based on strict algorithms," says Shelton.

Artificial intelligence and future prospects

Nevertheless, Agility Robotics is using the capabilities of generative AI to program robots on a large scale. The range of tasks a robot can perform is vast, but there are not enough engineers to program each one manually. AI models based on technologies like ChatGPT solve this exact problem, allowing robots to learn new skills faster.

Today, Agility Robotics prides itself on the following achievements:

Digit robots have successfully moved over 100,000 cargo boxes at the GXO logistics center;
The company plans to become the first humanoid robot manufacturer to go public this year;
Partnerships have been established with global brands such as Amazon and Toyota.

For developing markets, such technologies may seem like a distant future, but the automation of the global logistics chain will undoubtedly change warehouse management and production standards forever. This competition between Agility Robotics and Tesla will further accelerate the integration of robots into our daily lives.