Automated Guided Vehicle (AGV) is creating a huge logistics revolution in the logistics industry. Nowadays, the functions of these intelligent mobile robots have been released, and the new progress brought by each year will bring a huge upgrade to the entire industry. The latest research predicts that "the mobile robot market in material handling and logistics will reach $ 75 billion by 2027. It will more than double by 2038" (Business Insider). From intelligent autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) that transport materials in facilities, to bringing themselves to the warehouse shelves of packers and shippers, to mass dispatch of airport luggage AGCs (automated guided vehicles), by 2019, material handling will be greater than ever More changes happen at any time.
Warehouse AGV
Robots have gone far beyond being used as static mechanized palletizers. The delivery truck can now reach the loading dock, plug into the AGV system, and its pallets can be completely removed by the robot. The pallet can then be accurately transported to its storage destination by an automatic forklift. When no task is assigned, the AGV can move itself to the charging station and prepare for the next shipment.
As expected, by using mobile robotic workers, businesses can reduce labor costs, reduce damage to goods and reduce the risk of work-related injuries. In addition to saving labor costs, there are many logistical advantages to using an automated forklift system. On the one hand, robots require less row space than people, which creates more usable storage space in the warehouse. In addition, the rack itself can be configured deeper because the automatic shuttle system can move pallets from deep inside the forklift into the rack system.
Shipping AMR
Not only have robots changed the way we receive and store goods, AMR using intelligent navigation is now disrupting the way we select, pack and transport these goods. Computer systems and robotics now not only mimic the way humans worked a decade ago, but now also use their unique capabilities to reimagine the transportation process itself.
Today, entire product shelves are moved to packers instead of workers spending a lot of time in the aisles looking for items to pick. This incredible concept is now used in Alibaba's smart warehouse, where robots do 70% of the work. The small AMR lifted the shelves a few inches off the ground from below, and then shuttled along the narrow aisle to the person waiting to pick up the order. AMR can lift up to 500 kg of shelves and receive instructions from a central computer via WiFi. This new method of automated material handling has increased production by 300%, while reducing labor requirements by 70%.
The future of material handling robots
The material handling industry is well-suited for the robotics revolution and is likely to undergo greater change than almost any other field. Many companies that use robots to increase their operational efficiency have opened the way for more innovative approaches to increase production and provide superior customer service. As with advances in robotics in most workplaces, new skills will be allocated between humans and machines, many traditional positions will change, and new positions will emerge.
The repetitive tasks of loading, unloading, selecting, packing and moving cargo seem destined to be taken over by AGV or AMR in large facilities. Small companies without robots may face even greater challenges as they try to match the ever-increasing number of competing products. The use of collaborative robots (cobots) is also changing the "material handling" workplace. Cooperative robots are not replacing workers, but working with existing employees to make their job easier and safer. Either way, in the future, experienced people will cooperate with robots or manage robotic systems. This includes the extra staff needed to manage the higher productivity created by robots, experienced staff who bring robotics technology into existing environments, and staff trained to maintain these valuable new tools.