Research Robots Applications Industries Technology About Contact
← Back to Applications
Robot Application

Warehouse Material Transport

Revolutionize your logistics with autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) designed to move goods efficiently, safely, and continuously. By automating material transport, businesses significantly reduce operational costs while boosting throughput and inventory accuracy.

Warehouse Material Transport

Why Automate Warehouse Material Transport?

Increased Efficiency

AMRs operate continuously without fatigue, optimizing routes in real-time to ensure the fastest delivery times and higher throughput per hour.

Enhanced Safety

Advanced LiDAR and vision sensors prevent collisions with humans and obstacles, drastically reducing workplace accidents compared to manual forklifts.

Labor Optimization

Reallocate human workers from low-value transport tasks to high-value roles like quality control and complex picking, reducing turnover and strain.

Accuracy & Traceability

Integrated with your WMS, robots provide 100% digital traceability of goods movement, eliminating misplaced inventory and shipping errors.

Cost Reduction

Lower operational costs through reduced reliance on temporary labor, less damage to facility infrastructure, and decreased equipment maintenance.

Flexible Scalability

Easily scale your fleet up or down based on seasonal demand without the need for extensive retraining or infrastructure changes.

Intelligent Navigation & Coordination

The core of automated material transport lies in SLAM (Simultaneous Localization and Mapping) technology. Robots create a digital map of your facility, allowing them to navigate dynamically without the need for floor tape or magnetic strips.

A central Fleet Management System (FMS) acts as the "traffic controller." It receives transport orders from your Warehouse Management System (WMS) and assigns the nearest available robot. The FMS manages traffic to prevent bottlenecks, optimizes battery charging schedules, and orchestrates elevator usage.

Upon arrival, robots interface with conveyors, pallet stands, or robotic arms to perform autonomous Pick-up and Drop-off (PUDO), ensuring a seamless handoff between automation islands.

Warehouse Workflow Diagram

Where It's Used

E-commerce Fulfillment

Goods-to-Person (G2P) transport where robots bring shelves or bins to stationary pickers, reducing walking time by up to 70%.

Automotive Manufacturing

Just-in-Time (JIT) delivery of parts and sub-assemblies to production lines, keeping assembly stations lean and efficient.

3PL Logistics

Autonomous pallet moving from receiving docks to bulk storage, and from storage to shipping lanes for cross-docking operations.

Healthcare & Pharmaceuticals

Secure, sterile transport of medicines, samples, and linens between hospital wards and internal logistics centers.

What You Need

Hardware & Infrastructure

  • Flat, clean flooring (concrete or industrial coating)
  • High-speed Wi-Fi (WiFi 6 preferred) or Private 5G network
  • Charging stations (Auto-docking power supply)
  • Designated staging areas for pickup/drop-off

Software Stack

  • Fleet Management System (FMS) server
  • API Integration with WMS/ERP (REST/VDA 5050)
  • Map editing and route planning interface
  • Analytics dashboard for performance tracking

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between an AGV and an AMR?

AGVs (Automated Guided Vehicles) follow fixed paths like magnetic tape or wires and stop if blocked. AMRs (Autonomous Mobile Robots) use onboard sensors and maps to navigate freely, planning their own paths around obstacles dynamically without infrastructure changes.

Are these robots safe to work alongside humans?

Yes. AMRs are equipped with PL-d category safety scanners (LiDAR), 3D cameras, and emergency stop buttons. They automatically slow down or stop when a person enters their safety zone.

Do I need to change my warehouse layout?

Generally, no. AMRs are designed to work in existing brownfield environments. However, you must ensure aisles are wide enough for the robot plus a safety margin, and floors should be relatively smooth.

How long does the battery last?

Most modern warehouse robots run for 8-10 hours on a charge. They utilize "opportunity charging," automatically visiting charging docks during short breaks to maintain 24/7 operation capability.

What is the maximum payload capacity?

This varies by model. Small bin-carriers typically handle 50kg-100kg. Pallet transport robots can handle 1,000kg to 1,500kg. Heavy-duty towing robots can pull up to 5 tonnes.

Can they integrate with my WMS/ERP?

Yes. Integration is done via APIs or standard protocols like VDA 5050. This allows your Warehouse Management System to automatically generate transport orders for the robot fleet.

What happens if the Wi-Fi goes down?

Robots can usually continue their current task using onboard maps, but they will not receive new orders or traffic updates until the connection is restored. A robust network is critical for fleet efficiency.

What is the typical ROI timeframe?

Depending on labor costs and multi-shift usage, most companies see a Return on Investment (ROI) between 12 to 24 months.

Can they operate outdoors?

Standard indoor AMRs cannot operate outdoors. However, specific outdoor-rated models exist that can handle uneven terrain, weather, and variable lighting conditions for yard logistics.

How are the maps created?

A technician (or the robot itself) is driven manually through the facility once. The onboard LiDAR scans the environment to build a digital map, which is then cleaned up and saved to the fleet server.

Ready to implement Warehouse Material Transport?

Explore Our Robots Catalog