Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMRs) are self-driving robotic vehicles that can plot their own path to a given destination, navigate around obstacles, and perform tasks – all without the direct control of humans.
To do all of this, AMRs rely on several sensors such as LiDAR and stereoscopic vision to sense the environment around them and on artificial intelligence and machine learning to interpret and navigate the environment.
These allow them to slow down, stop, or completely change their path around an object or person to complete their task.
Their defining feature is that they run SLAM (simultaneous localization and mapping) algorithms. SLAM algorithms enable Autonomous Mobile Robots to build a map of their environment and track their location on the map, providing the foundation for autonomous navigation.
Depending on how advanced their autonomy technology is, AMRs can work safely around people, constantly update the facility’s maps, and navigate in unstructured spaces.
In recent years many industries have started implementing Autonomous Mobile Robots to help their employees accomplish various tasks, such as warehousing, logistics, agriculture, healthcare.