Automated Guided Vehicle

A cart that automatically follows a fixed, pre-laid path, such as a magnetic strip or QR codes.

AGVs were the first automated material-handling equipment to become common in factories and warehouses, following fixed or semi-fixed routes laid out in advance, with common guidance methods including floor-mounted magnetic strips, buried wires, QR codes, and laser reflectors. Their advantage is a defined, reliable, inexpensive route; the drawback is that changing the route means re-laying the guide path, and when an AGV meets an obstacle it typically just stops and waits rather than routing around it. A vehicle that can build its own map and plan routes in real time is usually called an AMR, meaning autonomous mobile robot, instead, though many AGVs now also use laser SLAM, meaning simultaneous localization and mapping, blurring the line between the two categories. AGVs are a good starting point for understanding mobile bases and warehouse-logistics automation.

ExampleOn an auto final-assembly line, tugger AGVs follow floor-mounted magnetic strips to deliver parts carts to each workstation.

Also called

AGV, AGV Cart

Related

Autonomous Mobile Robot · Mobile Base (Chassis) · Wheeled Robot · Tote Handling · Fleet Management System (e.g. Open-RMF) · Simultaneous Localization and Mapping

Sources

Automated guided vehicle - Wikipedia
AGV vs AMR - AGV Network