Companies often have to decide whether they want a track-bound Automated Guided Vehicle (AGV) or an Autonomous Mobile Robot (AMR), which only requires a destination, for robotic "in-house" transport. "Arcos" from DS Automotion, nominated for an IFOY award, combines both.
Users are therefore no longer forced to decide on the degree of their internal automation from the outset. At the IFOY test camp in Dortmund, the advantage of vehicles that can both use a designated lane and leave it to navigate freely on other routes became clear.
The developers at DS Automotion, now affiliated with SSI Schäfer, are convinced of the advantages of the hybrid system, as SSI CEO Steffen Bersch, who is also chairman of the VDMA specialist segment "Conveyor Technology and Intralogistics" which is heavily involved in the test camp, gladly confirms on the sidelines of a demonstration in front of jury members.
The hybrid application of so-called "plannable autonomy" also makes it possible to adapt to new conditions in "brownfield" environments that were previously used for other industries, without having to completely rebuild building structures and halls.
Photos: IFOY
AGVs tirelessly carry out their transport tasks 24/7. They follow rigidly defined routes. Every lane, curve, and intersection is carefully planned to achieve maximum efficiency for the entire system. Mutual obstruction or even blockage of the vehicles is thus impossible.
Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMRs), on the other hand, are responsible for achieving their own goals. They are often only given the destination and a map of the operating environment. Using sensors, they continuously monitor their surroundings and can react independently to changes. While their autonomous route planning allows them to avoid obstacles, it also carries the risk that decisions made may negatively impact the overall system's efficiency. Individual vehicles can interfere with or even block each other.
It's understandable that plant operators benefit when they can combine the positive aspects of both systems. IFOY testers were also impressed by the compliance with the VDA 5050 interface, which – like many others – can now be used across entire fleets.
