A robotics company that grew out of research at Oregon State University said Thursday it has raised $8 million to advance its work.

Agility Robotics develops machines that walk and run like people do. The company, headquartered in Albany, hopes to change the economy with robots that perform tasks inside homes and to do cumbersome or dangerous tasks in the real world - delivering packages, scouting ahead in war zones, and assisting in fighting forest fires.

"Our technology captures the same fundamental principles underlying legged locomotion in animals," said Jonathan Hurst, Agility's founder and an associate professor of mechanical engineering at Oregon State.

Agility has 10 employees now, Hurst said, and plans to double that number over the next year.

Oregon State said a robot called ATRIAS, developed in the university's robotics lab, was the first to reproduce the dynamics of the human gait. A subsequent robot, Cassie, won a measure of internet fame already with striking online videos of it walking and running.

Agility said Thursday's funding will pay for development of its robots and building a business around the technology. A Silicon Valley firm called Playground Global led Thursday's investment, joined by the Sony Innovation Fund and a prior investor, Robotics Hub. Agility had previously raised about $800,000.

Oregon State said it retains a stake in Agility, but that confidentiality agreements with the business prevent it from disclosing how large its interest is.

This article has been updated with additional detail about Agility and its relationship to Oregon State.

-- Mike Rogoway; twitter: @rogoway; 503-294-7699