Autonomous Guided Vehicle for Smart Warehousing

Abstract

The rapidly growing trend of online shopping and the increasing surge of global trading has led to major shifts in the way we handle logistics. Logistics is the most important aspect to improve efficiency and warehouses are a core part of logistics. Even today, a vast majority of the warehouses use human labour to move and manage all the items in them. This is not only extremely tiring but also slow and expensive. Therefore, a sure-fire method to improve efficiency is by using robots. This is the concept that this paper suggests and tests. An autonomous robot without any human intervention can map a whole warehouse using its own in-built sensors, in this case, a LIDAR, and use this map to automatically move to its desired position. Simultaneously, it will plan the shortest path to that destination and avoid any obstacles that might come in its path. This robot can replace human sorters and greatly reduce waiting time and costs. This study proves that an autonomous future in any factory is not only easy but also inexpensive and widely obtainable. It also illustrates the vast potential that comes with algorithmic technology applied in traditional fields.