This story was produced by the Oregon Journalism Project, a nonprofit newsroom covering the state.
Jonathan Hurst is the co-founder and chief robot officer of Agility Robotics, a startup that began at Oregon State University and makes humanoid robots with artificial intelligence. The company, whose flagship robot, “Digit,” is already in experimental use in everything from Amazon warehouses to Toyota manufacturing plants, is one of the best funded startups in the history of the state.
Hurst, 46, is also professor of robotics at OSU. He joined the school as its first robotics professor in 2008 and helped build the university’s globally renowned robotics and AI programs…