UK How an autonomous mobile robot works
An autonomous mobile robot (AMR) is a robot that finds its own way around a building or outdoor site. Instead of following a line on the floor, it carries sensors that let it see its surroundings, a map it has built of them and an onboard computer that decides where to go next. When a pallet, a person or a forklift blocks an aisle, it slows, stops or plans a route round it.
Every AMR repeats the same loop many times a second. It senses the space around it with lidar, cameras and wheel encoders. It localises, matching what it sees against its map to work out its position to within a few centimetres. It plans a path to its goal and a short-range trajectory that avoids anything moving nearby. Then it acts, sending speed and steering commands to its motor controllers.
The map comes from SLAM (simultaneous localisation and mapping). The robot is driven or sent round the site once, records what its sensors see and stitches it into a map. Zones, docking points, speed limits and one-way aisles are then added in software, so changing a route is an edit rather than a re-installation.
Types of autonomous mobile robot
AMRs share the same navigation technology but are built around very different jobs. The main types are:
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Goods-to-person robots. Low robots that drive under a shelf or carry totes and bring them to a picking station, so staff stop walking the aisles.
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Collaborative picking robots. Carts that travel alongside pickers in the aisles, show them what to pick and then take the full order to packing.
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Tuggers and cart movers. Robots that tow trains of carts or lift roll cages between stores, production lines and dispatch.
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Autonomous forklifts and pallet movers. Pallet trucks and counterbalance forklifts converted to drive themselves, for heavier loads and racking.
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Service and inspection robots. Cleaning, security patrol, hospital delivery and site inspection robots, including legged robots that read gauges and survey plant outdoors.
Inside an AMR: sensors, software and compute
An AMR is a small mobile network of sensors, controllers and one main computer. Each layer has a different job, and most of the engineering effort goes into making them work together reliably.
| Layer | What it does | Typical hardware or software |
|---|---|---|
| Perception | Sees obstacles, people, shelves and docking targets | 2D or 3D lidar, depth and stereo cameras, ultrasonic sensors |
| Localisation | Works out where the robot is on its map | SLAM software, wheel odometry, IMU |
| Planning | Chooses a route and avoids moving obstacles | Global and local planners, often built on ROS 2 and Nav2 |
| Control | Drives the wheels, lift and tools | Motor drives and battery management on CAN or CAN FD |
| Safety | Stops the robot when someone is too close | Safety-rated laser scanners, safety controller, emergency stops |
| Connectivity | Takes jobs and reports status to the fleet | Wi-Fi 6, private 5G, fleet manager software |
Lidar is the usual primary sensor because it measures distance directly and works in the dark. Our guide to how lidar measures distance covers the main types. Cameras add what lidar cannot see well, such as glass, overhanging loads and labels, and give the robot the images an AI model needs to recognise objects.
Choosing the onboard computer
The main computer runs localisation, planning and, more and more, AI perception models. A robot that only navigates with lidar can run on a modest x86 or Arm processor. A robot that recognises objects, reads labels or fuses several cameras needs a GPU, which is why many current designs use NVIDIA Jetson modules. The move towards physical AI, where robots learn skills from data, is pushing that demand higher.
Beyond processing power, a robot computer has to cope with life on a moving, battery-powered machine:
- Wide DC input straight from the battery pack, with clean shutdown when the robot docks or the battery runs low.
- Shock and vibration from floor joints, ramps and dock edges, so fanless designs and locking connectors are common.
- Machine I/O: CAN or CAN FD to the motor drives, digital I/O for bumpers and lights, PoE for cameras and lidar, and GMSL for long camera cables.
- Wireless: Wi-Fi and 5G modules for the fleet manager, with antennas routed outside a metal body.
Our Jetson Thor computers cover robots that run several AI models at once. Within the Advantech range we list, the MIC-742-AT Jetson Thor AI computers are aimed at humanoid robots and autonomous mobile machines, and the T5000 version adds four CAN FD ports. The MIC-733-AO Jetson AGX Orin computer suits robot guidance and multi-camera inspection, with isolated digital I/O and an optional four-port PoE module.
AMR safety and standards
Because AMRs share space with people, safety is designed in as a separate layer from navigation. Safety-rated laser scanners watch a protective field around the robot that grows with speed. If anyone enters it, a safety controller cuts the drive, whatever the main computer is doing. Emergency stop buttons and bumpers act the same way.
In Europe and the UK, ISO 3691-4 is the main safety standard for driverless industrial trucks, and it covers most AMRs that carry or tow loads. In North America, ANSI/A3 R15.08 covers industrial mobile robots. Both cover the robot, how it is used on site and how the site is marked out. Meeting them is a job for the robot builder and the site together, not something a single component provides.
Quick answers on autonomous mobile robots
Autonomous mobile robots: common questions
What does AMR stand for in robotics?
Autonomous mobile robot. “AMR robot” is a common search phrase, although it repeats the word robot. In other fields AMR can mean automated meter reading or antimicrobial resistance, so context matters.
How does an AMR know where it is?
By matching what it sees to a map. SLAM builds the map once, then the robot compares live lidar and camera data with it, combined with wheel odometry and an IMU, to fix its position many times a second.
Are AMRs safe to work around people?
Yes, when they are built and deployed to the standards. Safety-rated scanners slow and stop the robot as people approach, and ISO 3691-4 or ANSI/A3 R15.08 set the requirements for the robot and the site.
How long does an AMR battery last?
Typically a full shift or more. Most warehouse AMRs run for around 8 to 12 hours and top up automatically at a charging dock during quiet moments, so they can work around the clock.
Do AMRs need Wi-Fi?
For fleet work, yes. Each robot navigates on its own, but it needs a wireless link to receive jobs, share traffic information and report status. Sites with poor coverage often use private 5G instead.
We build robot and AMR computers to order, fitting the Jetson module, storage, wireless and camera interfaces and loading the operating system image before the system ships. Send us your sensor list, battery voltage and I/O, and we will specify a computer to match.