From its start in 1953, to where they are headed in the future, automated guided vehicles (AGVs) were the sole topic of discussion during the session, "AGVS of MHI Presents: Breaking Down the Barriers: A New Generation of AGVs" led by Brian Keiger, Chief Sales Officer, Grenzeback Corp., and Sarah Carlson, VP of Marketing & Business Development, AutoGuide AGV, on Monday morning.

 

Attendee Michael Deter, a staff engineer at Honda, said he was "looking to see what’s new in AGVs. We use them in limited capacity now. We are looking to see what’s happening next."

 

And he wasn’t disappointed. 

 

Keiger and Carlson led the attendees through a colorful history of AGVs, starting with their "dumb vehicle" stage where they following a wire in the ceiling and went 2.75 mph, to their first use in assembly in Sweden in 1973 by Volvo, to today. And to see where they are today, just look around the show floor, said Carlson. "There are a number of AGVs here at the show" and they are prime examples of how far technology has come. 

 

One of the earlier concerns about AGVs was their safety. That is still a factor today. But, Keiger said, "You don’t have to worry about safety (now). We put it at the top of our priority list." He said that when they start a project the first thing they talk about is the safety of this equipment. Nine times out of 10, it was something else hitting the AGV, not vice versa – especially if it is equipped with laser bumpers, he explained.

 

Laser bumpers are just one of the new features of AGVs. Some ofthe new ones are also driverless, follow a path, have collision navigation, path selection and destination selection. 

 

As for the next generation of AGVs? It is smaller bots, said Keiger. He said he anticipates they will not have casters or noise, but will have increased lift capacities. Carlson compared the increased capacities as being equivalent to the amount of weight at truck bed can carry versus the increased amount of weight it can pull. 

 

Another characteristic of AGVs of the future will be the ability to tunnel under the load handling frame, which "eliminates needing more AGV than necessary," said Carlson. She added that the future AGVs will bring products to workers, rather than workers going to them.  Natural Features Navigation, S.L.A.M. Navigation, and Contour Navigation are three fulfillment options moving forward – expect to see these terms when browsing the various AGV options being released.  Also, expect to see human features in the smaller bots, said Keiger. It will feel "like you are interacting with a person. They will talk to you, they will kind of look like a person, they will have voice enunciators."

 

Said Carlson, "Who knows? We might not even be here next year." Maybe a robot will be giving this presentation!