<!-- mobian-agent-page publisher="dailydev" canonical="https://daily.dev/posts/will-fiber-optic-cables-finally-get-made-in-orbit-maybe-a0myqtpio" -->

---
title: Will Fiber-optic Cables Finally Get Made in Orbit? Maybe
description: Agility Robotics founder Jonathan Hurst describes how building Digit 5, the company's largest humanoid robot, forced him to trade his original vision of a...
canonical: https://daily.dev/posts/will-fiber-optic-cables-finally-get-made-in-orbit-maybe-a0myqtpio
twitter:card: summary_large_image
twitter:site: @dailydotdev
og:type: website
og:site_name: daily.dev
og:title: Will Fiber-optic Cables Finally Get Made in Orbit? Maybe | daily.dev
og:description: Agility Robotics founder Jonathan Hurst describes how building Digit 5, the company's largest humanoid robot, forced him to trade his original vision of a...
og:url: https://daily.dev/posts/will-fiber-optic-cables-finally-get-made-in-orbit-maybe-a0myqtpio
og:image: https://api.daily.dev/og/posts/A0myqTpio.png
og:image:alt: Will Fiber-optic Cables Finally Get Made in Orbit? Maybe
og:image:width: 1200
og:image:height: 630
og:locale: en
---

> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://daily.dev/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Will Fiber-optic Cables Finally Get Made in Orbit? Maybe

**[IEEE Spectrum](https://daily.dev/sources/ieeespectrum)** · 16 min read · 0 upvotes · 0 comments

## Summary

Agility Robotics founder Jonathan Hurst describes how building Digit 5, the company's largest humanoid robot, forced him to trade his original vision of a graceful, agile machine for a heavy, safety-focused industrial worker. Digit 5 weighs over 120 kg, runs for 90 minutes on a charge, and recharges in 9 minutes via a dock delivering 240 amperes at 48 volts. When a person approaches, it stops, sets down its payload, sits on the floor, and cuts motor power to reduce risk. The extra bulk means it can no longer run or jump like earlier Digit versions, and it switched from ostrichlike to humanlike legs to handle squatting near the floor.

## Full article

daily.dev links to this article rather than hosting it. Read it at the original source: <https://spectrum.ieee.org/zblan-fiber-optic-cables-iss>

## Questions this post answers

### How much does Agility Robotics' Digit 5 humanoid robot weigh?

Digit 5 weighs over 120 kg, making it the largest and heaviest robot Agility Robotics has built. The added mass comes from a bigger battery, cooling system, and safety-rated sensors needed for operating near humans, which together take up about 75 percent of the robot's torso.

_Engineers tracking humanoid robot specs and trade-offs can follow releases like this on daily.dev._

### How does Digit 5 stay safe when working near humans?

Digit 5 uses an array of sensors to detect approaching people, then stops its current task, sets down its payload, sits on the floor, and cuts power to its motors before the person can touch it. This conservative stop-and-sit response was chosen as the only near-term approach Agility Robotics considers verifiably safe for humans working alongside the robot.

_Anyone evaluating safety approaches for human-robot collaboration can track developments like this on daily.dev._

### How fast can Digit 5's battery charge and how long does it run?

Digit 5 operates for 90 minutes and fully recharges during a 9-minute break using a dock that delivers 240 amperes at 48 volts, enough current to make the thick charging cables visibly wiggle from induced magnetic forces. This rapid autonomous charging is designed to enable near-continuous 20-hour workdays.

_Developers building battery and charging systems can keep up with real-world specs like these on daily.dev._

## Similar posts on daily.dev

- [Biometric Voting Technology Cuts Fraud, Tests Trust](https://daily.dev/posts/biometric-voting-technology-cuts-fraud-tests-trust-qrl6nman6) · IEEE Spectrum · 0 upvotes · 0 comments
- [Digit 5 May Be the First Humanoid Robot Worker That’s Truly Safe](https://daily.dev/posts/digit-5-may-be-the-first-humanoid-robot-worker-that-s-truly-safe-yjueoyvct) · IEEE Spectrum · 0 upvotes · 0 comments
- [Agility’s Digit 5 humanoid robot will run on Nvidia as it heads for Nasdaq](https://daily.dev/posts/agility-s-digit-5-humanoid-robot-will-run-on-nvidia-as-it-heads-for-nasdaq-vtiliho6y) · The Next Web · 1 upvotes · 0 comments
- [Agility Robotics plants its flag in Tesla's backyard](https://daily.dev/posts/agility-robotics-plants-its-flag-in-tesla-s-backyard-frinbtard) · TechCrunch · 0 upvotes · 0 comments
- [Robot Videos: Agility Robotics' Digit Drags a Couch](https://daily.dev/posts/robot-videos-agility-robotics-digit-drags-a-couch-brz7doevq) · IEEE Spectrum · 0 upvotes · 0 comments

---

Tags: [#startup](https://daily.dev/tags/startup), [#robotics](https://daily.dev/tags/robotics), [#reinforcement-learning](https://daily.dev/tags/reinforcement-learning)

[View this post on daily.dev](https://daily.dev/posts/will-fiber-optic-cables-finally-get-made-in-orbit-maybe-a0myqtpio)

```json
{"@context":"https://schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization","name":"daily.dev","url":"https://daily.dev","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://daily.dev/apple-touch-icon.png","width":180,"height":180},"sameAs":["https://twitter.com/dailydotdev","https://github.com/dailydotdev","https://www.linkedin.com/company/daily-dev-ltd"]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https://daily.dev/#website","url":"https://daily.dev","name":"daily.dev","publisher":{"@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization"},"potentialAction":{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https://daily.dev/search?q={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}}]}
{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"TechArticle","headline":"Will Fiber-optic Cables Finally Get Made in Orbit? Maybe","url":"https://daily.dev/posts/will-fiber-optic-cables-finally-get-made-in-orbit-maybe-a0myqtpio","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://daily.dev/posts/will-fiber-optic-cables-finally-get-made-in-orbit-maybe-a0myqtpio"},"datePublished":"2026-10-26T12:01:10.044Z","dateModified":"2026-10-26T12:05:20.528Z","description":"Agility Robotics founder Jonathan Hurst describes how building Digit 5, the company's largest humanoid robot, forced him to trade his original vision of a...","image":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/f_auto,q_auto/v1/posts/b0c97ebe40b223c58344654efee999e3?_a=AQAEuop","thumbnailUrl":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/f_auto,q_auto/v1/posts/b0c97ebe40b223c58344654efee999e3?_a=AQAEuop","isAccessibleForFree":true,"articleSection":"IEEE Spectrum","inLanguage":"en","publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"daily.dev","url":"https://daily.dev","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://daily.dev/apple-touch-icon.png","width":180,"height":180}},"author":{"@type":"Organization","name":"IEEE Spectrum","logo":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/t_logo,f_auto/v1/logos/b123f5e8420e492ab36f6adb30c1793a","url":"https://daily.dev/sources/ieeespectrum"},"commentCount":0,"discussionUrl":"https://daily.dev/posts/will-fiber-optic-cables-finally-get-made-in-orbit-maybe-a0myqtpio","interactionStatistic":[{"@type":"InteractionCounter","interactionType":{"@type":"LikeAction"},"userInteractionCount":0},{"@type":"InteractionCounter","interactionType":{"@type":"CommentAction"},"userInteractionCount":0}],"keywords":"startup,robotics,reinforcement-learning","timeRequired":"PT16M"}
{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https://daily.dev"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"IEEE Spectrum","item":"https://daily.dev/sources/ieeespectrum"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Will Fiber-optic Cables Finally Get Made in Orbit? Maybe"}]}
{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"FAQPage","@id":"https://daily.dev/posts/will-fiber-optic-cables-finally-get-made-in-orbit-maybe-a0myqtpio#faq","mainEntity":[{"@type":"Question","name":"How much does Agility Robotics' Digit 5 humanoid robot weigh?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Digit 5 weighs over 120 kg, making it the largest and heaviest robot Agility Robotics has built. The added mass comes from a bigger battery, cooling system, and safety-rated sensors needed for operating near humans, which together take up about 75 percent of the robot's torso. Engineers tracking humanoid robot specs and trade-offs can follow releases like this on daily.dev."}},{"@type":"Question","name":"How does Digit 5 stay safe when working near humans?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Digit 5 uses an array of sensors to detect approaching people, then stops its current task, sets down its payload, sits on the floor, and cuts power to its motors before the person can touch it. This conservative stop-and-sit response was chosen as the only near-term approach Agility Robotics considers verifiably safe for humans working alongside the robot. Anyone evaluating safety approaches for human-robot collaboration can track developments like this on daily.dev."}},{"@type":"Question","name":"How fast can Digit 5's battery charge and how long does it run?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Digit 5 operates for 90 minutes and fully recharges during a 9-minute break using a dock that delivers 240 amperes at 48 volts, enough current to make the thick charging cables visibly wiggle from induced magnetic forces. This rapid autonomous charging is designed to enable near-continuous 20-hour workdays. Developers building battery and charging systems can keep up with real-world specs like these on daily.dev."}}]}
```

