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The rapid growth of the eCommerce industry around the world and the pursuit of automation in warehousing and logistics management are fueling the demand for autonomous mobile robots (AMRs).

Lockdowns in the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, ongoing social distancing practices, and recurring stay-at-home orders and restrictions on business capacity to prevent the virus’s spread have accelerated the shift from brick-and-mortar store visits to online purchases. COVID-19 also is driving the use of AMRs in healthcare settings. Autonomous service robots in hospitals reduce the number of human interactions and boost efficiency.

An AMR is more advanced than an automated guided vehicle and is far more independent because of its high degree of autonomy. Advances in artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning will improve path planning in the next couple of years with remote sensing, obstacle avoidance, and object recognition features; AI, Industrial Internet of Things, 5G, and cloud technologies eventually could work with AMRs to provide more reliable and low-latency solutions.