Repeat internal transport
Runs that happen many times a day between the same two points can move to a vehicle that follows the same route each time.
Warehouse automation and AMRs.
A mobile robot system moves totes, trolleys, and pallets between production, storage, and dispatch on a route that repeats. The right system is planned around the route, the load, the floor, and the people who work in the same aisles.
Warehouse automation systems
Each system type has its own page. Start with the movement you want to take off the floor, then review what the system includes and whether it fits your site.
Mobile material transport
Carries totes, trays, or a trolley between fixed points on a mapped route.
- Movement type
- Point-to-point transport on a mapped route
- Best suited to
- Repeat internal runs between production, storage, and dispatch
- Vehicle selection
- Set by load weight, footprint, aisle width, and floor condition
Tugging and pallet movement
Tows carts or moves a pallet-sized load over longer runs.
- Movement type
- Towing or pallet-level load movement
- Best suited to
- Longer runs and heavier work people currently push or drive
- Vehicle selection
- Set by load weight, coupling method, and route gradient
Sortation and order picking
Stages and presents work so pickers stay in one area.
- Movement type
- Staging, separating, and presenting work
- Best suited to
- Picking and packing where people currently walk the route
- System selection
- Set by order profile, item mix, and station layout
Why use a mobile robot system?
Mobile robots are useful when the same movement happens many times a day. The system follows a mapped route and arrives at the same points every run.
More predictable material flow
When transport is scheduled rather than fitted around other work, the next stage waits for parts less often.
Less manual pushing and carrying
Long walking routes and heavy trolley work move into a planned, powered workflow with defined stopping points.
What is included in a warehouse automation system?
A vehicle on its own is not a system. The route, the load handling, the traffic rules, and the hand-off at each end are all part of the scope.
Vehicle and load handling
The vehicle and its top module, tow hitch, or lifting method are selected around the load and how it is presented and collected.
Navigation, mapping and traffic
The site is mapped, routes and stopping points are defined, and the rules for aisles, junctions, doors, and charging are set before the system runs live.
Integration, safety and operator workflow
Signals to and from the areas served, safety assessment for shared aisles, call and status points, and a clear way to recover a stopped vehicle.
Where warehouse automation is used
These are the applications this category covers and the industries they are used in. Find the row closest to your operation before opening a system page.
| Industry | Applications covered in this category |
|---|---|
| Warehousing and logistics | Warehouse picking, goods sorting, parcel handling, tote handling, order fulfilment, automated storage and retrieval, intralogistics automation |
| Food and beverage | Case packing, tray and tote movement, and the hand-off into food palletizing |
| Automotive components | Engine component handling, tyre handling, and line-side material transport between press, machining, and assembly |
| Metal fabrication | Material transport between cutting, welding, and finishing areas |
| Electronics | PCB and tote handling between production and test stations |
| Pharmaceutical and healthcare | Cleanroom material handling and sample handling |
What to include in the return calculation
The return comes from the work you move into the system, not from the robot. Start with the repeat hours and what they cost you today.
Start with the repeated runs
Count how many times the route is walked or driven in a shift, and how long each run takes including waiting and searching.
Include the whole route
Mapping, charging positions, load handling, safety assessment, network coverage, and any floor work belong in the figure.
Use your own figures
Uru Robotics has not published a calculator for this category. The welding-cell page has a labour-capacity calculator you can use as a planning model, with the limitations noted there.
View the calculatorWhen it is not the right fit
Some of this work is better left alone, or fixed a different way. It is worth ruling these out before scoping a system.
The distance is short
If the move is a few metres between two benches, a conveyor or a change in layout is simpler and cheaper than a vehicle.
The route changes constantly
If pick-up and drop-off points move week to week, the mapping and traffic rules need reworking each time.
The floor and aisles are the problem
Blocked aisles, uneven surfaces, and mixed forklift traffic have to be resolved first. A robot does not fix a congested floor; it has to live with it.
FAQs
The first review should focus on the work, not on an assumed robot model.
What is an AMR?
An autonomous mobile robot is a powered vehicle that moves a load between points on a site. It navigates using an onboard map and sensors rather than following a fixed physical track, so the route can be changed in software.
What is the difference between an AMR and an AGV?
An AGV follows a fixed guide path such as magnetic tape or a wire in the floor. An AMR plans its own path within a mapped area and can route around an obstruction. An AGV can be the simpler choice where the route is permanent and the traffic is light.
Which material movement is worth automating first?
A route that repeats every shift, has a stable pick-up and drop-off point, and runs on a floor clear and level enough for a vehicle to use safely.
Does warehouse automation need a change to the building?
It depends on the site. Floor condition, aisle width, door and lift access, network coverage, and charging locations all need review before a route can be committed to.
What happens after I contact Uru Robotics?
We start with the movement you want to improve. From there we decide whether a closer review of the route, load, floor, and daily volume is useful.
Related applications
These sit next to this category in most factories.
Planning guide
Compare AMR and AGV approaches through the route, load hand-off, traffic, floor, and operating workflow.
Return on investment
Use your production figures to explore a simple planning estimate.
Contact Uru Robotics.
Find out whether warehouse automation and AMRs are right for your operation.