What is a Mobile Robot? Definition, Types, and Applications Explained

How to Choose the Right Mobile Robot

Choosing the right mobile robot (AGV/AMR) is crucial to the success of a project. Therefore, we need to consider multiple factors. Below are several factors to consider when selecting a mobile robot.

Step 1: Clarify your project requirements

When contacting mobile robot manufacturers, you need to think clearly about the following questions

1. What task will the mobile robot perform?

-Transportation: What is being transported? (Semi-finished products, finished products, shelves, pallets, food, fruit)

-Towing: Is it pulling materials or hooking them?

-Inspection: Indoor or outdoor inspection, or inspection of special locations such as mines?

2. Load of mobile robots

– Goods dimensions: The dimensions of the goods to be moved, including length, width, height, and center of gravity, determine the size of the robot’s load-bearing surface.

3. Mobile robot operating environment

– Indoor or outdoor: Is the indoor environment a warehouse, workshop, or other space? Consider whether indoor areas require elevator access and whether there are thresholds that need to be crossed. For outdoor areas, consider slope and road conditions.

– Ground conditions: Is the surface a flat cement floor, epoxy flooring, or uneven steel plates with gaps? This affects navigation methods and wheel selection.

-Human-machine interaction level: Is the area a densely populated zone, a mixed pedestrian-vehicle zone, or a completely isolated unmanned zone? This directly relates to safety standards.

-Dynamic obstacles: Are there large numbers of randomly moving people, forklifts, or other vehicles in the environment?

-Infrastructure: Are there sufficient widths, elevators, or automatic doors? Does the environment need to be modified for the robot? (e.g., installing QR codes or reflective panels)

4. What kind of workflow is needed?

-Route complexity: Is it a simple point-to-point transport from point A to point B, or does it require passing through multiple stations and stopping at multiple points?

-Interface requirements: Does it need to automatically interface with elevators, automatic doors, conveyor belts, roller conveyors, or lifts?

-Charging method: Is it manual charging, opportunity charging (automatically charging at a charging station during task breaks), or battery swapping?

-Scheduling requirements: Do multiple robots need to work in coordination? Is integration with your MES (Manufacturing Execution System), WMS (Warehouse Management System), or ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning System) required?

5. Performance indicators

-Efficiency: How many trips need to be completed per hour/day? This places requirements on the robot’s speed, acceleration, and task switching time.

– Reliability: What is the expected uptime? (e.g., >99.5%)

-Accuracy: What is the repeatability accuracy requirement for the docking point? (±10 mm, ±5 mm, or ±1 mm?) This is critical for loading and unloading.

Step 2:  Evaluate key technology options Navigation method

Navigation Methods	Principle	Advantages	Disadvantages	Applicable Scenarios
Magnetic Tape	Travel along magnetic strips or magnetic nails affixed to the ground.	Low cost, fixed path, mature technology, high accuracy	Difficulties in changing the path (requires reapplication), no metal interference on the ground	Simple handling with fixed paths, stable environments, and high precision requirements
Lidar SLAM	Scan the surrounding environment (walls, pillars, etc.) with a laser radar to construct a map and determine location.	High flexibility (path set via software, easy to change), no need to modify the environment, suitable for complex dynamic environments	High cost, may be unstable in environments with repetitive features or open spaces (such as large warehouses)	Human-machine mixed flow, frequent path changes, the mainstream choice for modern warehousing
Visual SLAM	Use a camera to identify environmental features or special markers to determine location.	Potentially lower cost, rich information	Sensitive to changes in light, high computational complexity, stability easily affected by the environment	Applications requiring stable lighting and cost sensitivity, such as e-commerce warehouses
QR Code	Read QR codes on the ground to determine location.	Very high positioning accuracy, low cost	Frequent labeling required, high maintenance (codes easily become dirty or damaged), poor path flexibility	Highly precise docking requirements for “goods-to-person” picking stations
Inertial navigation (odometry) +	Typically combined with other methods, such as wheel encoders and IMUs (inertial measurement units) to calculate location.	Provides continuous position estimation	There is cumulative error, so regular calibration is required.	As an auxiliary navigation tool, it can be used in conjunction with QR codes or magnetic pins.

Conclusion: Currently, laser SLAM is the mainstream trend for flexible and intelligent applications. Unless there are special requirements for high precision or low-cost fixed paths, it should be given priority consideration.

Step 3: Movement method (chassis type)

Two-Wheel Differential: The most common type, consisting of two drive wheels and several swivel wheels. It has a simple structure, low cost, and zero turning radius. It is suitable for most indoor transportation scenarios.

McNaughton Wheels: Enable omnidirectional movement (forward, backward, left, right, diagonal, lateral, and rotation). Highly flexible, suitable for operation in narrow spaces. However, it is expensive, requires a smooth floor surface, and has high energy consumption. Commonly used in medical logistics.

Steering Wheel: Similar to a car’s steering mechanism. High load capacity, smooth operation, suitable for heavy-duty (ton-class and above) and outdoor high-speed applications. However, it has a large turning radius. Commonly used in agriculture and industrial logistics.

Step 4: Safety Performance  

Multi-level safety protection: laser obstacle avoidance sensors, vision, and ultrasonic multi-sensor fusion enable path planning, collision avoidance, and collision risk reduction, as well as an emergency stop button for unexpected situations.

Certification: compliance with international safety standards (such as CE, UL, etc.).

Step 5: Software and system integration capabilities

Scheduling System (Fleet Management System): The core of multi-robot collaboration. A good scheduling system can optimize task allocation, path planning, and traffic management to avoid congestion and deadlocks.

API Openness: Can it easily interface with your upper-level systems (WMS/MES/ERP) to achieve task distribution, status feedback, and data upload

Mobile Robot Supplier Evaluation and Selection

1. Compile a list of candidates: Use online searches, industry exhibitions, and recommendations from peers to compile a list of 3-5 potential suppliers.

2. Communicate requirements: Provide each supplier with the detailed requirements identified in step 1 and ask them to provide preliminary proposals and quotes.

3. Watch on-site demonstrations (critical!):

It is essential to observe demonstrations in your company’s environment (Proof of Concept, PoC). Request that suppliers bring the robot to your actual site for testing to assess its maneuverability, accuracy, stability, and human-machine interaction in real-world scenarios.

Observe how the robot reacts to dynamic obstacles (e.g., suddenly appearing pedestrians).

Test its docking accuracy.

4. Evaluate the supplier’s comprehensive strength:

Technical team: Are they professional and responsive?

Successful cases: Do they have successful cases similar to your industry? You can visit the customer site to investigate.

After-sales service: How long is the after-sales response time? Is the supply of spare parts sufficient? Do they provide remote support?

5. Total Cost of Ownership (TCO)

Don’t just compare the unit price of robots. Calculate the total cost of ownership, including: hardware purchase price, software license fees, deployment and implementation fees, environmental modification fees, post-installation maintenance fees, and training fees.

Summary: Quick selection checklist for choosing the right chassis supplier

The Future of Mobile Robots

With labor costs continuing to rise, robots are playing an increasingly important role in our lives. Currently, global issues such as aging populations and recruitment difficulties are becoming increasingly serious. In the future, mobile robots will be widely used in manufacturing industries such as semiconductors, new energy, transportation, and 3C electronics manufacturing, promoting quality and efficiency improvements and high-quality development in various industries.

Mobile Robot Supplier Evaluation and Selection

1. Compile a list of candidates: If you want to find a mobile robot company, please use online searches, industry exhibitions, and recommendations from peers to compile a list of 3-5 potential suppliers.

2. Communicate requirements: Provide each supplier with the detailed requirements identified in step 1 and ask them to provide preliminary proposals and quotes.

3. Watch on-site demonstrations (critical!):

It is essential to observe demonstrations in your company’s environment (Proof of Concept, PoC). Request that suppliers bring the robot to your actual site for testing to assess its maneuverability, accuracy, stability, and human-machine interaction in real-world scenarios.

Observe how the robot reacts to dynamic obstacles (e.g., suddenly appearing pedestrians).

Test its docking accuracy.

4. Evaluate the supplier’s comprehensive strength:

Technical team: Are they professional and responsive?

Successful cases: Do they have successful cases similar to your industry? You can visit the customer site to investigate.

After-sales service: How long is the after-sales response time? Is the supply of spare parts sufficient? Do they provide remote support?

5. Total Cost of Ownership (TCO)

Don’t just compare the unit price of robots. Calculate the total cost of ownership, including: hardware purchase price, software license fees, deployment and implementation fees, environmental modification fees, post-installation maintenance fees, and training fees.

Summary: Quick selection checklist for choosing the right chassis supplier

The Future of Mobile Robots

With labor costs continuing to rise, robots are playing an increasingly important role in our lives. Currently, global issues such as aging populations and recruitment difficulties are becoming increasingly serious. In the future, mobile robots will be widely used in manufacturing industries such as semiconductors, new energy, transportation, and 3C electronics manufacturing, promoting quality and efficiency improvements and high-quality development in various industries.