MT Magazine January/February 2023

FEATURE STORY

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2023

29

Design the work environment for collaborative work; don’t just think of the task as getting a cobot and everything will go just fine. The AMR Advantage All of that said, one of the types of collaborative automation devices that is showing real advantages for many manufacturers is the AMR, or autonomous mobile robot. This should not be mistaken for an AGV, or automated guided vehicle. The AGV depends on things like wires or tape in or on the floor that the vehicle follows from point A to B. If there is a need to go from point A to C, then there must be something physical done (e.g., put down more tape). An AMR, however, uses sensors and computing power (in some cases AI and machine learning) in order to navigate safely through a facility. It is capable of moving around an obstacle, whether it is a piece of equipment that isn’t supposed to be where it is or a person who happens to have stopped in its path (an AGV will stop until whatever is moved). What’s more, should there be a change of route from point A to C, this is more likely to be handled by a few lines of code, not a few yards of tape or wire. The AMR provides a great advantage when there are adjustments in the workflow for a facility, as this can be effected quickly compared to the AGV alternative. Without question, going forward, there will be an increase in the number of collaborative operations with cobots and AMRs. However, in both cases, to get the greatest advantage, good workspace design – design for collaboration – is absolutely essential to gather as much information and research as possible from builders, integrators, manufacturers, and those working

within the operations. After all, it has been my experience that when multi-disciplinary teams collaborate, optimization is achieved.

If you have any questions about this information, please contact Andra at akeay@AMTonline.org.