On-site interviews report the plant currently needs a dedicated human minder because Digit "can't detect human beings in its environment yet" and must stay behind a plexiglass enclosure under machine-guarding rules; 14-year plant worker Doug Thompson frames the automation push bluntly as "efficiency is the name of the game and it's relentless, it's not going to stop."
- Handles the repetitive, physically strenuous basket-carrying task reliably enough to run full 8-hour shifts
- Engineer sees a whole host of future use cases once unshielded
- Plant expects to remove the safety cage by end of year as human-detection improves
- Cannot yet detect nearby humans, so it must operate behind a plexiglass barrier
- Requires a dedicated human 'Agility contractor' to babysit it for the full shift
- Current operating cost ($10-25/hr) is far above Agility's $2-3/hr target
Leer el análisis completo en Industrial Equipment News (syndicated Wall Street Journal reporting) →
