Automated Guided Vehicles
Advantages of automated guided vehicles (AGVs)
Among the many benefits that organizations can achieve by automating their mobile processes with AGVs, cost savings, control, efficiency, increased capacity, better safety, and a healthy return on investment (ROI) all stand out.
The first to note is cost savings and control, which are down to AGVs’ consistent labour costs (compared to humans) and after their initial outlay, minimal further costs, and their predictability. Controlled acceleration and braking reduce maintenance costs, combined with high safety performances, mean they are rarely damaged or do damage.
Second is their greater efficiency, predictability and accuracy, all vital in warehousing and manufacturing. Using AGVs can release humans to focus on higher-value, higher-skill tasks. If, however, there is a shortage of staff (quite common in material handling operations) AGVs can provide added resources and increase capacity.
A third advantage of AGVs is their improved safety records, with research showing they are involved in significantly fewer incidents and accidents than manually operated counterparts. A fourth and final advantage to highlight is the substantial ROI from investment in AGVs, with some paying back an initial outlay in a year or two.
Limitations of automated guided vehicles
Similar to AMRs, the benefits of deploying AGVs are balanced with drawbacks, so it makes sense to be away of their limitations, which include their high cost, lack of interoperability, WiFi reliance, environment-related lack of flexibility.
With their high costs, there is little doubt that AGVs represent a considerable investment, though one that can pay long-term dividends. Moreover, prices are slowly falling, while the number of leasing schemes is increasing. An off-the-shelf forklift truck in the US, for example, might cost in the region of $25,000, compared to more than $120,000 for an equivalent automated version. Explore the cost differences between forklifts and AGVs on an AGV ROI calculator.
Most AGV manufacturers’ product lines are closed systems, meaning its software is usually only capable of managing that producer’s vehicles. This lack of interoperability means installation, different software, and different physical routes are often required if another AGV brand is deployed. In addition, most AGV systems rely on wireless connectivity, so a strong, dependable Wi-Fi is a must.
While a human driving a forklift can simply decide to change routes and drive down a different aisle, even the most flexible vehicles on the market need to be re-programmed if routes and requirements alter. This lack of flexibility means AGVs require specific conditions to function at their best. Similarly, they struggle with uneven floors, slopes, wet and slippery surfaces, and some (that use vision guidance) in low-light conditions. Check out an AGV’s environmental preferences before you invest.
Autonomous Mobile Robots
Advantages of autonomous mobile robots (AMRs)
Automating a site’s processes with autonomous mobile robots offers a multitude of benefits. These 24/7 robotic helpers do exactly as they are programmed, and compared to their human counterparts, they don’t require breaks, vacations, or even to work in the light.
So, what it is specifically that is about AMRs that is so attractive? As outlined below, they range from high flexibility and cost optimization to their all-round efficiency and the relative ease in which they can be installed, modified, and scaled either up or down.
Firstly, they have a high degree of flexibility because most AMRs use natural navigation to get around. Installation is quick and their routes and actions can be easily modified. They do not require major infrastructure changes before brought into operation and their natural navigation is also fleet-ready, meaning mobile robots can be connected in a scalable fleet.
Secondly is cost optimisation, highlighted with the fact that deploying AMRs is an obvious way in which businesses (such as fulfilment centres and manufacturing plants) can minimize their human staffing cost. Mobile robots can run virtually 24/7 (with the odd pause for battery charging), without the additional overheads humans require. Depending on their use, AMRs also have minimal wear and tear on components, reducing costs.
A third advantage is AMRs’ high level of efficiency, notably by minimizing how many human workers need to move around (to pick orders or transport parts, for example). An AMR’s movements are programmable, repeatable, and they do not need to sleep or take vacations, which suits organizations aiming for 24/7 operation.
Fourthly, AMRs are quick to install & modify, primarily because they are usually based on natural navigation technology. They require no major infrastructure changes, and their routes and actions can be easily modified. And unlike more traditional types of automated guided vehicles, they don’t get around by following physical lines on the floor or by firing lasers at reflective targets (laser triangulation) to calculate their position.
Easy to scale up/down is a fifth advantage, and adding robots as requirements or operations expand is simple. Robots can also be removed from a connected fleet if operational requirements drop.
Disadvantages of AMRs
Of course, as well as benefits, AMRs also have limitations in certain settings, such as smaller payloads, occasional puzzling object avoidance and their very specific site requirements.
Firstly, their smaller payloads are down to their smaller size, which is key to ability to their requirement to navigate dynamically around obstacles in their path. There is a lot of sense in this, because agile AMRs are not designed to be heaving carts full of heavy goods or machinery. For this reason, consider the likely size and weight of your vehicle’s payloads when researching your vehicle choices.
The second disadvantage might seem counterintuitive: obstacle avoidance doesn’t always make sense, but that’s because in truth the dynamic obstacle avoidance used by AMRs is not always the most effective approach. For some applications, moving around obstacles makes perfect sense, but for in others, a vehicle that stops and waits while well-trained staff move a blockage can be more efficient.
The best approach for a specific operation depends on various factors, such as a site’s complexity, which impacts the availability of alternative routes and aisle widths, and the number of other robots that might be moving around doing the same.
Thirdly, AMRs require specific on-site conditions to work effectively. If AMRs use natural navigation to get around, lighting conditions will not be a factor, but flooring might be. Most mobile robots do not deal well with uneven floors, slopes, and wet, slippery surfaces. Therefore, make sure you understand a mobile robot’s environmental preferences before you make any AMR investment.
*This blog article is based on content kindly provided to us by BlueBotics.
