14 Types of Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMR) with examples
AMRs are thata big thing changing the way we produce and stock material. More intelligent and user-friendly systems are opening the doors to a wide range of applications of autonomous robots. Let's discover all the varieties of AMRs!
These AMRs are reshaping manufacturing and warehousing
The technological advancements in robotics are ushering in new horizons within the industrial sector, especially in factories and warehouses.
Leading this transformative charge is the Autonomous Mobile Robot (AMR), an intelligent machine designed for versatility, easily adapting to different tasks depending on its configuration and attachments.
In fact, AMR Warehouse have become the Kings Of Warehouse 👑...
An autonomous mobile robot is a driverless robot that navigates autonomously and is able to decide its route, being possible to avoid obstacles.
If you want to know more about amrs (navigation, safety, applications, etc) do not miss this article: What is an Autonomous Mobile Robot?
What are the types of autonomous mobile robots?
Broadly speaking, AMRs fall into three categories depending on their application:
✅ Transport Inventory AMRs : These robots automate the transfer of items (boxes, pallets, containers, carts, etc) within a facility. AMRs today handle both large loads and individual items efficiently.
✅ Picking Assist AMRs: Order picking is a significant part of operations due to its time intensity. There are two ways to improve picking. AMRs reduce travel time by bringing products to pickers or by picking products from shelves or totes.
✅ Sortation AMRs: These robots make sorting easier with different tools. They quickly sort packages, online orders, and returns, moving items smoothly.
In essence, AMRs transform and optimize operations by automating time-consuming tasks, offering adaptability to varying business needs.
In the following lines, I will provide an in-depth look into the different kinds and examples of AMRs and how they're used in different material handling processes.
Platform AMRs
Let's start from the very beginning.
This is the most basic AMR Robot type while it is the base for many versatile applications depending on the attachments or devices installed on it.
They are just that... a platform with several mounting options, allowing for custom applications based on user needs.
✅ Benefits
Their adaptability means businesses can craft tailored robotic solutions as per specific requirements.
✅ Use-cases
They're indispensable in projects demanding specific robotic interventions or when adapting to dynamically changing operational demands.
Manual Loading AMRs
Manual Loading AMRs come with shelves, bins, or custom attachments. Workers can manually load and unload inventory, making them ideal for tasks that require flexibility in item handling.
✅ Benefits
These AMRs allow flexibility for workers to manually handle inventory, making them perfect for transporting diverse items without a set pattern.
✅ Use-cases
They're the perfect solution for ZONE PICKING. They're particularly useful for moving products from assembly lines to storage areas and for distributing tools and parts within a manufacturing environment.
Rack and Cart Lifting AMRs
Designed to go beneath a rack or cart, they lift it using a plate mounted on the AMR. It’s an efficient solution for transporting larger volumes in one go.
✅ Benefits
They efficiently transport larger volumes, thereby reducing the number of trips required.
✅ Use-cases
Commonly found replenishing stock in retail settings or moving materials between distinct production zones.
AMR platforms for pallet lifting
These are heavy-duty robots capable of transporting pallets between various points in a warehouse or production facility.
They drive beneath pallets, lifting them for transportation, requiring the pallets to be on a suitable support for access.
✅ Benefits
Facilitates the easy movement of bulk items or products, enhancing workplace safety by minimizing manual pallet movement.
✅ Use-cases
Primarily found in warehouse loading and unloading zones and in transporting goods from storage to dispatch areas.
AMRs for Dollies Lifting
With a single lifting jack, these AMRs can lift and move equipment like wheeled dollies loaded with goods, automating dolly transport processes.
✅ Benefits
Simplifies dolly transportation processes by eliminating manual intervention.
✅ Use-cases
These are ideal for moving goods in distribution centers or facilitating luggage transport in airports.
Cart Pulling AMRs
These robots go underneath a cart, attaching themselves using pins. Compared to Tugger AMRs, they are more flexible and require smaller footprint but require carts designed to accommodate them. Moreover, tuggers use to have more payload capacity.
✅ Benefits
They require lesser space and showcase better maneuverability compared to Tugger AMRs.
✅ Use-cases
Especially valuable in transporting goods in narrow corridors or crowded settings.
Conveyor AMRs
Integrating with conveyor systems, these AMR platforms come with conveyor attachments for tasks like automated case picking and transfers.
✅ Benefits
Facilitates seamless material transfer, augmenting the efficiency of automated case picking processes.
✅ Use-cases
Often employed in transferring items between different conveyor belts or lines.
Mobile Picking Robots
Equipped with robotic picking mechanisms, they can transport items like totes and bins from shelves for fulfillment.
✅ Benefits
Offers enhanced accuracy and speed in item retrieval, optimizing fulfillment processes.
✅ Use-cases
Predominantly seen in e-commerce fulfillment hubs or specialized sorting facilities.
💡 Wish to know further? Do not forget to read this article : What are Order Picking Robots?
Mobile Cobots with Manipulators
A fusion of AMR movement with robotic arms, they're suited for advanced automation tasks like flexible picking, packing, and palletizing.
✅ Benefits
They bring unparalleled flexibility to processes such as picking, packing, and palletizing.
✅ Use-cases
Their versatility makes them ideal for assembling products in factories or sorting tasks in postal centers.
💡 More info? Advantages of Mobile Cobots
Heavy Load and Large Custom AMRs
Designed for extreme loads, these heavy-duty AMRs can transport items weighing thousands of kilograms, such as metal coils and reels.
✅ Benefits
These AMRs allow flexibility for workers to manually handle inventory, making them perfect for transporting diverse items without a set pattern.
✅ Use-cases
They're particularly useful for moving products from assembly lines to storage areas and for distributing tools and parts within a manufacturing environment.
Sortation AMRs
These AMRs streamline the sorting process with various handling technologies. They manage tasks like high-speed parcel sortation, ecommerce order fulfillment, and returns handling.
✅ Benefits
These AMRrobots work fast and accurately, allowing for tight sorting areas and taking up less space.
✅ Use-cases
They're used in postal services and ecommerce.
Pallet Jack AMRs
AMRs are not only platforms with different attachments and devices.
Pallet jack AMRs are nimble vehicles, easy to install and do not require any specific structure on the floor. They can simply pick/drop pallets from/to the floor or at max 1 m height (for example on conveyors)
Combining the benefits of AMRs and forklifts, these robots can lift pallets directly from the floor and deliver them to storage systems, even at height.
✅ Benefits
Provides automated pallet lifting and transportation, elevating safety standards and operational efficiency.
✅ Use-cases
Essential for replenishing stock on high shelves and transferring items across warehouse sections.
Forklift AMRs
Nowadays, thanks to the latest navigation and localization techniques, AMRs can substitute all kinds of forklifts (stackers, reach trucks, etc).
More and more traditional Forklift AGV manufacturers are implementing autonomous navigation into their vehicles, leading, in fact, to have proper Autonomous Forklifts.
Combining the benefits of AMRs and forklifts, these robots can lift pallets directly from the floor and deliver them to storage systems, even at challenging heights.
✅ Benefits
Provides automated pallet lifting and transportation, elevating safety standards and operational efficiency.
✅ Use-cases
Essential for replenishing stock on high shelves and transferring items across warehouse sections.
Tugger Autonomous Mobile Robots
Designed to pull carts like a convoy, these tow tractor robots can either automatically or manually latch onto a cart, making them excellent for transporting various wheeled containers or dollies.
✅ Benefits
Enhances transportation capacity by enabling the movement of multiple carts.
✅ Use-cases
Found in large manufacturing units, postal services or in hospitals for tasks like laundry or waste movement.
Conclusions
Autonomous mobile robots are defined not by their shape or size but by their ability to navigate and determine their own routes.
It's all about the intelligence inside, not the chassis outside.
As technology becomes more user-friendly, efficient, and affordable, the possibilities for different types of autonomous vehicles expand.
It's an exciting era where the design of a robot is limited only by imagination and practical needs.
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Related articles...to learn more about agvs
Difference between AGV and AMR - What's the best solution?
Autonomous Forklift Companies - The Top Ten
Autonomous Mobile Robot Market- Trend and Growth
AMR Robot Applications- 7 applications that AGVs could not do |
Written by Alfredo Pastor Tella (agvnetwork editor).
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