# The Robot Report Podcast Ep. 1: Agility Robotics on Legged Robotics

- Show: [The Robot Report Podcast](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-robot-report-podcast)
- Published: 2020-06-02
- Length: 1h 02m
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-robot-report-podcast/2020-06-02-the-robot-report-podcast-ep-1-agility-robotics-on-legged-robotics
- Listen: https://soundcloud.com/robot-report-podcast/the-robot-report-podcast-ep-1-agility-robotics-on-legged-robotics

## Summary

Jonathan Hurst, Co-founder and CTO of Agility Robotics, discusses the engineering philosophy behind their bipedal robots, Cassie and Digit, contrasting their electric, passive-dynamic approach with Boston Dynamics' hydraulic systems. He details the evolution from the Atrius research platform to the commercial Digit V3, explaining how design choices like backwards knees and inertial actuation via arms solve stability and control authority issues. Hurst also addresses the challenges of scaling production, targeting a $35,000 price point, and current real-world testing with Ford for last-50-foot deliveries and warehouse logistics.

## Chapters

- [0:07](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-robot-report-podcast/2020-06-02-the-robot-report-podcast-ep-1-agility-robotics-on-legged-robotics#t=7) Introduction: Robot Report Podcast Launch
- [5:41](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-robot-report-podcast/2020-06-02-the-robot-report-podcast-ep-1-agility-robotics-on-legged-robotics#t=341) Jonathan Hurst's Background and Legged Locomotion Research
- [13:05](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-robot-report-podcast/2020-06-02-the-robot-report-podcast-ep-1-agility-robotics-on-legged-robotics#t=785) Evolution from Atrius and Cassie to Digit: Design Philosophy
- [23:58](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-robot-report-podcast/2020-06-02-the-robot-report-podcast-ep-1-agility-robotics-on-legged-robotics#t=1438) Simulation, Reinforcement Learning, and Sim-to-Real Challenges
- [26:24](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-robot-report-podcast/2020-06-02-the-robot-report-podcast-ep-1-agility-robotics-on-legged-robotics#t=1584) Ford Partnership and Last-50-Foot Delivery Testing
- [31:46](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-robot-report-podcast/2020-06-02-the-robot-report-podcast-ep-1-agility-robotics-on-legged-robotics#t=1906) Manufacturing Costs and Target Price Point
- [33:39](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-robot-report-podcast/2020-06-02-the-robot-report-podcast-ep-1-agility-robotics-on-legged-robotics#t=2019) Comparison with Boston Dynamics: Hydraulics vs. Electric
- [38:47](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-robot-report-podcast/2020-06-02-the-robot-report-podcast-ep-1-agility-robotics-on-legged-robotics#t=2327) Impact of COVID-19 on Operations and Supply Chain
- [52:09](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-robot-report-podcast/2020-06-02-the-robot-report-podcast-ep-1-agility-robotics-on-legged-robotics#t=3129) Future Roadmap: Digit V4 and Warehouse Applications

## Topics

- [Mechanical engineering](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/mechanical-engineering)
- [Embedded firmware](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/embedded-firmware)
- [Manufacturing partners & offshoring](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/manufacturing-partners)
- [Robotics & autonomy](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/robotics-and-autonomy)
- [Pricing, margins & unit economics](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/pricing-and-unit-economics)

## Most relevant to

early-stage companies

## Mentioned

- Agility Robotics (company)
- Digit (product)
- Cassie (product)
- Atrius (product)
- Boston Dynamics (company)
- Atlas (product)
- Ford (company)
- Anki (company)
- Embodied (company)
- Moxie (product)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [Episode Three - Robot Locomotion: getting moving](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/robot-talk/2020-11-27-episode-three-robot-locomotion-getting-moving) (Robot Talk)
- [Robots Everywhere with Aaed Musa](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2026-01-20-robots-everywhere-with-aaed-musa) (The Amp Hour)
- [191: The State of Robotics: Live From the 2024 Robotics Summit & Expo in Boston, MA](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/manufacturing-happy-hour/2024-06-25-191-the-state-of-robotics-live-from-the-2024-robotics-summit-expo-in-boston-ma) (Manufacturing Happy Hour)
- [Ep. 20 | Dr. Aaron Edsinger, CEO & Co-founder of Hello Robot and Former Head of Robotics at Google on Humanity in Robots](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/moores-lobby/2021-03-18-ep-20-dr-aaron-edsinger-ceo-co-founder-of-hello-robot-and-former-head-of-robotic) (Moore's Lobby)
- [Episode 109: Building robots at home - Dan Nicholson](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/robot-talk/2025-02-14-episode-109-building-robots-at-home-dan-nicholson) (Robot Talk)

## Citing this page

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