In recent years, technological advancements in areas like artificial intelligence, machine learning, computer vision, and advanced sensors have enabled the development of intelligent and autonomous robots that can operate safely alongside human workers.
Here’s an in-depth overview of autonomous mobile robots – explaining how they work, the different types of AMRs, and the key benefits they offer for warehouse operations.
What are AMRs?
They are self-driving machines that can transport items and perform repetitive tasks in warehouses or manufacturing facilities without the need for human intervention. AMRs combine autonomy (the ability to navigate environments without being controlled) with connectivity (the ability to connect with warehouse management systems and other technologies).
AMRs utilize a combination of sensors like LiDAR, cameras, motion sensors, and navigation software to move around dynamic environments populated by humans and obstacles. They can autonomously map out spaces, determine optimal routes between locations, and avoid collisions with people, infrastructure, and other AMRs.
Many AMRs can lift and carry shelves, carts, or entire trailers to transport materials from point A to point B. Others are designed for more granular picking and transporting of individual items in a warehouse. Most AMRs can integrate with a facility’s Warehouse Management System (WMS) to enable real-time decision-making and optimization.
Compared to traditional industrial robots that rely on fixed infrastructure like assembly lines or conveyor belts, the main difference is that autonomous mobile robots are flexible, mobile, and meant to collaborate safely alongside human workers rather than replace them entirely.
How Do Autonomous Mobile Robots Work?
AMRs utilize a combination of advanced technologies like artificial intelligence, machine learning, computer vision, localization, mapping, navigation, and advanced sensors to understand and move safely around industrial environments populated by infrastructure, people, and other machines.
Navigation Systems
Autonomous navigation is the core capability of mobile robots like AMRs. Navigation systems fuse data from sensors and reference maps to determine the AMR’s location within a facility relative to objects and people. This lets the AMR understand where it is, where it needs to move next, and how to get there without collisions.
LiDAR sensors generate 3D point cloud maps that enable AMRs to avoid obstacles and recalculate paths in real time. Other advanced sensors like depth cameras, ultrasonic sensors, and multi-view cameras provide additional visibility into the AMR’s dynamic surroundings. This sensor fusion feeds navigation algorithms that govern planning, localization, situational awareness, and object detection.
Many AMRs utilize Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM) techniques paired with pre-mapped reference layouts. This allows the AMR to map its environment, determine its location within existing warehouse maps, and navigate to target destinations by planning optimal routes while avoiding people, infrastructure, and changing conditions.
Perception
In addition to mapping and understanding spatial parameters, AMRs also perceive contextual details from their surroundings. This includes detecting humans and understanding pedestrian behavior, identifying infrastructure like shelving units and conveyors, categorizing objects that need transporting and accounting for ambient factors like lighting, reflections, and shadows.
Computer vision algorithms analyze imagery from cameras and depth sensors to classify objects, people, vehicles, and environmental considerations. This perceptual information ensures AMRs have sufficient situational awareness to make safe, context-appropriate navigation decisions. Activity recognition goes a step beyond by not just detecting humans but actually analyzing body language, gaze, and mobility to predict intended movements and actions.
Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning
By processing huge datasets gathered through sensors over time, machine learning algorithms allow AMRs to refine detection abilities, strengthen responsiveness, and optimize productivity. Instead of just following predefined programming, AI gives AMRs a mechanism for expanding knowledge.
For example, learning-enabled computer vision can go from generalized object classification to more granular categorization tailored to that specific warehouse’s products and SKUs. By connecting with each facility’s WMS, AMRs gain institutional knowledge on optimal routes, traffic patterns, frequently moved items, and warehouse layout design intricacies.
Connectivity With Warehouse Management Systems
Modern AMRs are designed to network with a warehouse’s broader information technology systems, above all the WMS. Integration between mobile robot fleets and overarching warehouse execution enables optimization across integrated automation.
For instance, when an order comes in for a particular SKU, the WMS can assess current inventory levels, item locations, and transport needs before dispatching the closest eligible AMR. The WMS monitors the AMR fleet and coordinates mission hand-offs in line with broader workflow orchestration. This creates a symbiosis between mobile robot tasking and warehouse-wide order fulfillment.
Many AMRs leverage built-in capabilities for material transport and manipulation while relying on facility systems for optimizations around batching, scheduling, and traffic coordination.
High-level connectivity with execution management systems, material handling equipment, and stationary robotics is integral for facilities pursuing holistic, system-wide automation.
Benefits of Using Autonomous Mobile Robots in Warehouses
Implementing autonomous mobile robots offers a variety of potential benefits for modern warehouse operators seeking to meet growing demands:
1. Increased Throughput & Reliability
With rising consumer expectations for faster fulfillment and delivery, warehouses require scalable solutions that don’t compromise accuracy, quality, or safety. By automating repetitive material transport processes, AMRs amplify throughput and minimize errors caused by fatigue or distraction.
Instead of relying solely on fast-moving but distraction-prone humans, AMRs provide persistent, reliable materials movement 24/7. Automation handles the non-stop simple transports while enabling the human workforce to focus their versatility, strategic thinking, and manual dexterity on more complex tasks.
2. Flexible Automation
While fixed automation, like conveyor belts, streamlines linear processes, adapting those static systems requires significant reconstruction. Mobile autonomous robots offer more flexible automation.
AMRs can be easily reconfigured through software updates to accommodate fluctuating business needs – from seasonal inventory items to floorplan redesigns. This agility makes AMR adoption affordable since enterprises aren’t locked into single-purpose tools.
3. Improved Space Utilization
Warehouses constantly battle storage capacity constraints, yet much square footage gets swallowed up by things like conveyor belts, sorting systems, pick modules, and other fixed infrastructure that eats into usable storage space.
While essential, these assets hinder reconfigurability. Compact, interweaving AMRs maximize square footage for shelving and inventory while maintaining throughput. Warehouse operators gain flexible density to accommodate inventory fluctuations and seasonal demands.
4. Enhanced Safety
Warehouse accidents impact human health, disrupt operations, and inflict serious financial costs. While process automation aims to improve productivity and quality, worker safety should be an equal priority. Smoothly moving AMRs eliminate many dangers of industrial vehicles and workflows.
Without bulky static infrastructure blocking lines of sight, AMRs with advanced sensors can operate at relatively low speeds alongside humans. Multiple overlapping safety sensors give AMRs reliable object detection and responsive stopping capabilities to prevent worker injury.
Removing select hazardous repetitive tasks also reduces physical strains. Human staff gain a better quality of life, avoiding chronic issues like back pain. Fulfillment still depends heavily on human contribution but in a safer, more focused framework.
Types of Autonomous Mobile Robots Used in Warehouses
Now that we’ve covered the essentials of how AMRs work and what benefits they offer for warehouses, let’s overview some common types of autonomous mobile robots used in the industry:
Goods-to-Person & Robotic Mobile Fulfillment Systems
Some enterprises deploy fleets that bring universal shelving, containers, or even entire trailers to ergonomic human pick stations. This goods-to-person approach maximizes the use of space since inventory stays densely stored until needed for an order. With this system, workers stay comfortably in localized zones while AMRs present the required items as needed.
These robots may have platforms, modular shelving units, or sometimes even a “swarm” of coordinated robots that position entire trailers in response to pick requests. This category includes solutions like Locus Robotics and Fetch Robotics.
Robotic Transport Vehicles & Tugs
These rugged, load-bearing AMRs autonomously haul carts, dollies, racks, or trailers between destinations. Think of them essentially as robotic forklifts minus the dangerous lifting apparatus. This includes heavy models from makers like Vecna Robotics capable of moving thousands of pounds. It also includes lighter models like those from MiR or Otto Motors that transport lighter loads.
Robotic tugs shine in inter-area transport – whether from goods-in to storage locations or taking items from picking zones to shipping zones. Route planning happens dynamically while tracking goods and meshing with facility-wide workflow and traffic coordination.
Robotic Pallet & Case Handlers
AMRs like those offered by companies like 6 River Systems, often dubbed “Chuck” robots, handle simple pallet or case movements like transfers between locations, stretching, and unloading. While they move moderately smaller loads than bigger tugs, these robots make up for it with omnidirectional maneuverability and modularity.
Their lightweight versatility suits the majority of transport tasks involving pallets, cases, or light packages. Simplistic operation plus 360-degree mobility allows ad-hoc movement of assets wherever needed without pausing broader workflows.
Robotic Piece Pickers
Smaller autonomous mobile units handle granular picking chores traditionally done by humans. These robots autonomously grab individual stock-keeping units (SKUs) to fill object-level orders. This includes collaborations between Kindred AI’s SORT robotic arm with platforms from companies like Machina Robotics.
Object recognition guides the robot arm to reliably pick selected items from bins. This is handled dynamically – working around other warehouse activity before depositing retrieved items where workers or downstream automation can continue fulfillment.
Aerial Robots
Certain niche applications leverage autonomous drones for inventory and facilities monitoring, lifting lightweight materials, or accessing hard-to-reach areas high up in the warehouse rafters.
These aerial robots tend to augment human capabilities rather than directly participate in floor-level workflows. The upper-level vantage helps staff monitor operations while lifting abilities aid tasks related to light fixtures, ducting, conduits, or ventilation systems.
Autonomous Mobile Robots: Are They Right For Your Warehouse?
While AMRs present compelling benefits, determining suitability requires carefully weighing unique operational needs, workflows, and enterprise aims. Moving from partial automation to an optimized robotic solution warrants deliberation around change impacts on staff while factoring in implementation costs.
Key Assessment Considerations
- What are the current constraints bottlenecking fulfillment & distribution? Are these limitations solvable through simple AMR adoption, or does greater workflow redesign need consideration
- What tasks are mismatched between human warehouse associates and industrial vehicles? Could AMRs fill gaps through more customized, accessible automation?
- Which workflows involve the most walking, lifting, and transport between processes? How much would relieving this bodily strain impact worker satisfaction and retention?
- Do facility layouts and material flows allow seamless integration of interweaving AMRs? Or would storage, picking, and transport redesign gain necessary efficiencies?
- How suitable is the current warehouse management system for well-coordinated tasking, optimization, and transparency across integrated robotics?
By benchmarking as-is processes against automation possibilities, warehouse enterprises gain data-backed insight into ideal next steps for operational improvement and technology adoption. While AMRs present excellent opportunities, solution providers should guide customers through the total cost of ownership, change management concerns, and expected timeline from project inception to ROI realization.
Careful due diligence, objective analysis, and patience give stakeholders the 360-degree perspective needed to make sound investments that balance automation’s advantages.
Conclusion: Autonomous Mobile Robots – The Future of Warehouse Automation
Warehouse robotics has seen tremendous evolution and adoption in recent years thanks to artificial intelligence, advanced sensors, navigation systems, and enhanced safety capabilities. Autonomous mobile robots now offer tremendous value for industrial facilities through:
- Increased Throughput: 24/7 automation amplifies warehouse output and order fulfillment speeds by handling material transport and mundane, repetitive chores.
- Enhanced Workforce Utilization: Removing distraction and danger from simple material handling tasks allows human staff to focus on more gratifying, less automatable assignments.
- Improved Reliability & Consistency: Tireless autonomous robots operate consistently without distraction or fatigue-caused errors human workers face over long shifts.
- Better Inventory Density: Compact, dynamic AMRs maximize storage density vs space-hogging fixed infrastructure like conveyors or pick modules.
- Stronger Order Accuracy: Advanced sensors, object recognition, and connectivity with management software minimize misspicks and order errors prevalent in manual retrieval.
- Added Agility & Scalability: Easily reconfigured mobile robots suit fluctuating business needs and seasonal demands better than rigid legacy automation.
With solutions spanning robotic piece pickers, autonomous tugs, goods-to-person robots, and more, AMRs now suit a spectrum of transportation, maneuverability, and payload requirements in nearly any warehouse.
After decades of hype and under-delivery by robotics in the past, autonomous mobile systems are finally reaching technological maturity with rapid benefit realization across many sectors. With so much progress recently, AMR adoption appears poised for inevitable expansion as the next generation of mainstream warehouse automation.
