Built In's reference guide frames autonomous mobile robots as sensor-driven units that map their own routes and bypass obstacles, in contrast with path-bound automated guided vehicles. [S1]
For specifying engineers, the article is useful as a scoping reference when justifying AMR vs AGV selections and the associated facility survey, fleet management, and integration work. It surfaces the dominant AMR subclasses in current logistics and manufacturing deployments, and lists vendor names that are commonly used as benchmarks in RFPs. It also flags a delivery-robot market projection that can be cited in growth-case sections of capital justifications, with the caveat that the source is a secondary guide rather than a primary research report. [S1]
What the guide covers
Built In published a reference guide titled A Guide to Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMRs), framing AMRs as self-navigating machines that move goods, assist workers, and perform tasks across farms, factories, hospitals, and other settings. [S1]
The guide contrasts AMRs with automated guided vehicles, stating that AGVs rely on track-like systems made of wires, magnets, or lasers to move along a fixed route, while AMRs are preprogrammed by mapping their working environment to create transport paths and use onboard sensors to steer around obstacles. [S1]
It lists industries that use AMRs as logistics, manufacturing, e-commerce, hospitality, healthcare, construction, agriculture, and energy. [S1]
Names, figures, and AMR types named in the piece
The guide names ABB, Boston Dynamics, and Locus Robotics as popular AMR developers. [S1]
It describes four common AMR types in operation: picking robots following a goods-to-person model, self-driving forklifts used in warehouses to move and stack pallets, autonomous inventory robots often paired with RFID tags for tracking, and delivery robots covering items from hot plates to packages. [S1]
A delivery-robot market projection of $1.8 billion in value by 2028 is cited, and a 2022 Axios quote from Joann Muller is used to frame demand for logistics help and a shortage of forklift operators and other skilled workers. [S1]
What it means for specifying engineers
The article positions AMRs as more adaptable than AGVs because they sense obstacles and reroute rather than stopping, and because they can map routes on their own in environments such as crowded hospital hallways and dynamic construction sites. [S1]
It argues for longer-term scalability, stating that an AMR fleet can be re-tasked or relocated with limited reprogramming, which is a relevant point when weighing capex against facility churn and throughput growth assumptions. [S1]
The four subclass descriptions map directly to common specification categories: goods-to-person picking, pallet handling, RFID-assisted inventory scanning, and last-mile or on-site delivery, which can be used as a checklist when scoping a pilot or RFP. [S1]
How to verify at the source
The guide is hosted at the Built In robotics section under the autonomous mobile robots topic page, and the article is presented as a reference overview rather than a primary research report. [S1]
Before citing the $1.8 billion by 2028 figure, locate the original delivery-robot market study it references and confirm the scope, geography, and definition of delivery AMR. [S1]
Before using the named developers as comparable vendors in a spec, pull current product datasheets from ABB, Boston Dynamics, and Locus Robotics to confirm payload, navigation sensor stack, fleet management software, and any relevant safety or interoperability standards that the guide does not detail. [S1]
Primary notice: Industry news.
Product encyclopedia: Autonomous Mobile Robot.