Autonomous Mobile Robot (AMR)

Overview

An autonomous mobile robot carries goods through a warehouse or factory by navigating like a person would, building a map of the building, working out where it is in that map, and planning a path around whatever is in the way. This is what separates it from an AGV, which follows a wire, magnet, or tape glued to the floor. Because the AMR needs no fixed infrastructure, a fleet can be dropped into an existing building and rerouted in software as the layout changes. The machine is a Differential Drive Base for motion, a ring of sensors for perception, a battery for endurance, and a computer that ties them together into autonomous transport.

How it works

The base uses differential drive: two independently powered Drive Wheel wheels, each an in-hub Hub Motor with its own encoder, plus free Swivel Caster casters for support. Spinning the wheels together drives straight; spinning them at different speeds turns in place. The Motor Controller amplifiers close the loops that hold commanded wheel speeds, and wheel odometry seeds the robot's position estimate.

Perception comes from the Sensor Suite. A safety-rated LiDAR Scanner sweeps a laser across 270° to map walls and obstacles and to enforce a protective stop field; two Depth Camera cameras add a 3D view of low or overhanging hazards a 2D scanner misses; an IMU (6-axis) and a contact Contact Bumper round out motion sensing and last-resort safety. The Navigation Compute runs simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) to keep the robot placed in its map, then plans and follows a path while a separate safety supervisor watches the scanner. A Conveyor Top Module powered conveyor loads and unloads totes hands-free, an Battery & Auto-Dock with Dock Contact charge terminals tops up at a floor dock between jobs, and a roof Status Display signals the robot's intent to people sharing the aisle.