Autonomous mobile robots (AMR): how they work and how they can be incorporated into the warehouse

Logistics, warehouse management, and order processing have undergone many changes in recent years, with increasing demands for efficiency and productivity, now reaching delivery times of as little as two hours. For this reason, keeping abreast of new procedures and adopting the latest technologies is essential for companies that want to remain competitive and adapt to the new reality.

When it comes to increasing efficiency and productivity in warehouse logistics, automation is a must. Warehouse robotics is undoubtedly a technology that we can define as a competitive lever and, among the various solutions, autonomous mobile robots (AMR) are proving to be among the most revolutionary and innovative.

What are Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMR)?

An autonomous mobile robot is any robot capable of moving around its environment without the need to be supervised by an operator or to follow a fixed and predetermined path. This means that it is a very sophisticated robot, capable of understanding its environment thanks to the presence of sensors that allow it to:

• Perform your task in the most efficient way and with the shortest route
• Avoid fixed obstacles (such as buildings, shelves, workstations, etc.)
• Avoid moving obstacles (such as operators, forklifts, etc.).

Other technologies used in warehouse management also perform similar functions (AGVs, for example), but only AMRs offer the flexibility to always choose the best and safest route to accomplish their task. In addition, they can cooperate with operators in picking and sorting operations.

Thanks to the integration with warehouse control systems, autonomous mobile robots create their own routes and make processes and workflows more efficient and productive, performing functions such as transport, picking, delivery, and storage of goods. goods and products, even in the least healthy and dangerous environments. AMRs free operators to perform more value-added functions in safer conditions.

Let’s see what types of autonomous mobile robots exist and how they can be used in the warehouse.

Types of autonomous mobile robots according to their function

Since they were first used by NASA for space exploration, AMR robots have become a true strategic asset for optimizing the entire supply chain.

For this reason, they are distinguished more by the function they perform within the warehouse than by their model. We find, therefore, mainly 3 categories of autonomous automatic robots:

The benefits of autonomous mobile robots for distribution centers and warehouses

Within a distribution center or a warehouse, the picking phase (order preparation) is one of the most important and useful elements for evaluating the productivity of the entire logistics process. AMRs significantly increase the speed of this step, resulting in more orders being processed in an hour, using fewer staff.

A picking operator assisted by an AMR robot can double their productivity.

Therefore, we can summarize the advantages of adopting autonomous mobile robots in warehouses as follows:

• Reduction of personnel costs
• Increased staff productivity
• Increased order processing capacity
• Reduction of errors in the preparation of orders and, therefore, of returns
• Increased safety for personnel as AMRs handle the most physically demanding operations and can access dangerous or unhealthy areas.

For more information on finding the right solution for your operation, get in touch! We’ll be happy to explain the many options we provide that can help you gain all the benefits of a Autonomous mobile robots (AMR).