Toyota to use humanoid robots at Ontario plant

Woodstock, ONT — Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada (TMMC) is set to deploy seven humanoid robots from Agility Robotics at its Woodstock assembly plant this spring, marking one of the first commercial uses of bipedal robots in a major automotive production facility.

The robots, known as Digit, are scheduled to begin work in early April. They will be assigned the repetitive yet essential task of loading and unloading totes of automotive parts from automated warehouse tuggers, effectively bridging gaps in material flow between automated systems and the assembly line for Toyota’s bestselling RAV4 SUVs.

The deployment follows a year-long pilot program at the same Ontario plant. TMMC initially tested three Digit units to evaluate real-world performance in an active manufacturing environment. After what Toyota described as a successful trial, the company entered into a commercial Robots-as-a-Service agreement with Agility Robotics for the larger deployment.

Tim Hollander, TMMC president, framed the decision not merely in terms of automation but as a way to enhance worker experience and operational efficiency, focusing on relieving employees of physically taxing and highly repetitive tasks so they can concentrate on higher-value work.

Agility Robotics’ Digit is part of a relatively small cohort of humanoid robots being used in real industrial settings — a step beyond the fixed-arm robots that have dominated factory automation for decades. Toyota’s move reflects a broader industry trend toward integrating more versatile robotic systems into production and logistics workflows.

Peggy Johnson, Agility’s CEO, highlighted that the partnership could expand into new use cases over time, with future versions of Digit engineered to be safe enough for closer collaboration with human workers.

For TMMC, this initiative positions its Ontario operations — Toyota’s largest manufacturing footprint outside Japan — at the forefront of advanced manufacturing. Observers say sustained success with the robots could pave the way for broader adoption across the global automotive sector.