From robots that tow carts to systems that bring whole shelves to a picker, warehouse automation comes in very different shapes. Here's what each type does, and what to check before you automate.
Most sites combine two or three of these rather than automating everything at once.
| Type | What it does | Suits | Watch for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) | Navigate freely using sensors and a map, moving totes, carts or goods between points. | Sites with changing layouts and mixed human and robot traffic. | Busy aisles slow them down. Wi-Fi coverage matters. |
| Automated guided vehicles (AGVs) | Follow fixed routes marked by tape, magnets or reflectors. | Repetitive runs between the same points. | Changing routes means changing the markers. |
| Goods-to-person systems | Bring shelves, bins or totes to a fixed picking station instead of sending people walking. | High-volume picking of many small items. | Often needs a dedicated area and a bigger upfront project. |
| Robotic picking arms | Pick individual items from bins using vision and grippers. | Consistent, well-packaged products. | Soft, shiny or irregular items can be harder to grip. |
| Autonomous forklifts and pallet movers | Move pallets between racking, docks and staging areas without a driver. | Predictable pallet flows, including night shifts. | Needs careful separation from pedestrians and manual forklifts. |
| Sortation robots | Small robots or conveyors that sort parcels to destination chutes. | Parcel and e-commerce operations with high throughput. | Peak volumes decide how many units you need. |
Robots take instructions from your warehouse management system. Check integration before anything else.
Size, weight, packaging and how many different lines you carry all narrow down which robots can handle them.
Floor condition, aisle widths, racking height, doors and Wi-Fi all affect what's practical.
Size automation for your busy season, not an average week, or plan for manual backup.
Robots change jobs. Involve staff early, train them and agree who handles exceptions.
Separate robot and pedestrian traffic where you can, and include robots in your risk assessment.