Agility Robotics is on a steady march toward commercialization, thanks to the continued growth of robotics in warehouse fulfillment and logistics and the expanding feature set of its bipedal robot. We’re excited to announce that Digit — escorted by co-founder and CEO Damion Shelton and Melonee Wise, the company’s new CTO — will join us September 21 on the Hardware Stage at TechCrunch Disrupt 2023.
Agility spun out of Oregon State University, with an initial focus on last-mile delivery, but changed course to the thriving world of warehouse fulfillment and logistics. The company has been piloting Digit in warehouses.
In April 2022, Agility announced a $150 million Series B, bringing its total funding to $180 million. The company has put that money to good use. One, by hiring Wise — Fetch co-founder and CEO (acquired by Zebra in 2021) — and two, by upgrading Digit.
Digit 2.0 sports two significant modifications over its ancestor — a head with LED animated eyes (to help people understand where it is headed and its intentions) and a pair of end effectors, which are simple hands that improve its ability to use warehouse tools, like bins.
We’re looking forward to a fascinating conversation with Shelton and Wise about choosing a bipedal approach to commercialized warehouse robots and so much more. We hope you’ll join us.
Damion Shelton: Agility Robotics co-founder and CEO
Damion Shelton is a multifaceted roboticist focused on building automation solutions that solve real-world challenges, starting with improving logistics and warehouse operations. Prior to co-founding Agility Robotics, Shelton co-founded threeRivers 3D, where he served as CTO and designer of a low-cost, high-volume laser scanner for novice users in the healthcare space. Shelton holds a PhD in Robotics from Carnegie Mellon University.
Melonee Wise: Agility Robotics CTO
Melonee Wise has a deep history in developing autonomous robots and advancing the robotics industry as we know it today. Prior to joining Agility in 2023, she was the vice president of robotics automation at Zebra Technologies. She served as CEO of Fetch Robotics until its acquisition by Zebra Technologies in 2021.
Wise was the second employee at Willow Garage, where she led a team of engineers developing next-generation robot hardware and software, including ROS, the PR2 and TurtleBot. She serves as the chair of the IFR Service Robots Group, as a robotics board member for A3 and on the MHI Roundtable Advisory Committee.
Wise has received many accolades and awards, including the MIT Technology Review TR35, Silicon Valley Business Journal’s Women of Influence and 40 Under 40, and Business Insider named her one of eight CEOs changing the way we work. She received a BS in mechanical engineering and physics engineering and an MS in mechanical engineering from the University of Illinois.
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