AMR robots: discovering the logistics revolution

AMRs are becoming increasingly popular in this sector. More and more logistics centres worldwide are taking advantage of these mobile platforms,  from large market leaders to smaller distribution centres.

 

Market data confirms this. In 2021 alone, over 100,000 units were sold, a record sure to be broken: It is estimated that 640,000 AMR Robots will be sold worldwide in 2025. This double-digit growth is confirmed by the International Federation of Robotics.

 

At the root of this revolution in the world of logistics is an accelerated demand for efficiency and productivity, which only automation can guarantee. In addition, the consolidation of e-commerce practices and consumer-centric dynamics of the market are forcing manufacturers to accelerate performance and satisfy an increasingly demanding client base. The growth of automation in the logistics sector, especially in intralogistics, is not only the result of necessity but has been prompted by the introduction of digitalization processes driven by Industry 4.0 funds and strategies.

 

These processes aim to boost innovation through support to R&D activities, both at the academic and industrial level, tax credits for corporate investments and support for SMEs. This is an opportunity that also involves the industrial logistics sector, which is strategic for the resilience of the country's economy, as stressed in the UK Innovation Strategy.

 

Among the various solutions for warehouse robotics, AMR Robots are proving to be among the most revolutionary and innovative in improving goods handling capacity and warehouse efficiency.

 

AMRs are robots that can move in their surroundings without the need to be supervised by an operator or to follow a fixed, predetermined path, thanks to the presence of intelligent sensors that allow localization, movement monitoring, and tracking.

 

Understanding their surroundings allows AMR Robots to perform their tasks efficiently, opting for the shortest path and avoiding fixed and moving obstacles, for example, the presence of shelves, workstations, operators, forklift trucks, etc. Compared to other technologies with similar functions, e.g., Automated Guided Vehicles (AGVs), AMR Robots offer greater flexibility that allows them not only to continue to choose the best and safest route to perform their task but also to support operators in the picking and sorting of goods and products. This makes processes and workflows more efficient and enables the AMRs to take their place in more hazardous environments. This enables the AMRs to perform more value-added functions in safer conditions.

 

The aim is to have next-generation AMR Robots in the future, increasingly high-performance and autonomous, capable of improving the well-being of workers in the workplace, monitoring their health, and controlling their surroundings for risk prevention, thanks to the development of new intelligent sensors, vision, and sensing systems, combined with increasingly sophisticated AI algorithms.

 

As a true strategic asset for optimizing the entire supply chain, AMR Robots are classified according to their function within the warehouse: transporting, sorting, or moving products and goods from point A to point B both inside and outside a facility or warehouse. These are being joined by vehicles, which assist in the picking process, both man-to-goods and goods-to-man, and inventory operations which, where integrated with the warehouse management system, enable process automation.

 

Particularly in inventory management, the combination of RFID technology with AMR Robots allows real-time knowledge of the number of products stocked, replenished, dispatched, and withdrawn, essential to optimize productivity and accuracy in order fulfilment.

 

The advantages of the presence of AMR Robots in a distribution centre or warehouse can thus be summarized as reduced personnel costs, improved productivity of personnel during working hours - being able to devote themselves to other, more critical operations without having to move from their workstation, minimization of operational errors and work disruption, lower costs and, finally, increased safety for personnel.