Autonomous Robots Take Center Stage at AMR Conference

Manufacturing, retail, and logistics are just a few industries now using autonomous robots. These flexible, collaborative robots are quickly becoming a simple, efficient, and cost-effective way to automate tasks from material handling to transportation to maintenance.

If you haven’t seen autonomous mobile robots yet, get ready -- they’re coming fast. Parcel delivery services are testing them in select markets, and grocers are using autonomous robots for tasks like checking shelves and monitoring floors for spills.

2019 Autonomous Mobile Robots Conference

On September 17, 2019, leaders and businesses across the robotics industry will gather for the Autonomous Mobile Robot Conference at the Galt House in Louisville, KY, hosted by the Association for Advancing Automation (A3).

Topics include everything from explaining the basics of AMR technology to using it in a wide range of applications. Some of the speakers include Melonee Wise, CEO of Fetch Robotics, Matt Wicks, VP of Product Development at Honeywell Intelligrated, and Aaron Prather, Senior Technical Advisor at FedEx Express.

The Post-Conference tour at the Material Handling Systems state-of-the-art R&D facility will demonstrate how multiple autonomous robots perform package delivery scenarios. See how the Parcel Singulator system operates without human intervention; the system operates at an astonishing singulation accuracy of 99.85%.

Advancements with Autonomous Robots

In the past, autonomous guided vehicles needed permanent wires, magnetic strips, or sensors embedded in floors for navigation, but those rigid systems were expensive to install and change later if needed. 

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The addition of onboard intelligence systems has given autonomous robots the ability to quickly adapt to almost any environment without an infrastructure for guidance. AMRs can learn about their surroundings in different ways -- blueprints can be uploaded or AMRs can drive around and develop their own maps.

Autonomous robots also have been given computer vision capabilities that enable them to detect the objects around them. This function lets them perceive a dynamic environment and allows them to be used in constantly-changing environments. Humans can safely interact with and work around AMRs without disrupting the completion of their tasks and without risk.

How Autonomous Robots are Used

Companies all across the supply chain have integrated mobile robots in applications that require material transportation. Some facilities have fleets of autonomous robots that move materials around production facilities and warehouses, allowing humans to avoid the repetitive, low-value task of transporting components and assemblies.

Autonomous robots also have been put into use in busy environments like hospitals. Staff no longer need to leave their posts to deliver lab results or patient samples. AMRs navigate to and stop at pick-up points to collect samples on their way to the lab. These are just two of countless examples of how autonomous robots are being used today.