Robot recruits: human-shaped solutions to the global labour shortage

At an Amazon research site just outside Seattle in the US, a compelling vision of the workplace of the future is playing out. Amidst the stacks of totes - apparently unfazed by the clutter, noise and unpredictability of the environment - a small group of humanoid robots diligently go about their business, moving crates around, stacking boxes, and generally making themselves useful.

The robot in question is Digit, a bipedal human scale “mobile manipulation robot” developed by Oregon State University spin out Agility Robotics to help address a burgeoning human labour shortage that many believe represents an existential threat to society.

Standing 1.7 metres tall, weighing 63kg, and boasting striking backward-facing insectoid-knees that enable it to crouch down and reach deeply into shelves in a way that would challenge even the most flexible human, Digit is one of a number of general-purpose humanoid robots being deployed in similar settings around the world.