AUTOMATED GUIDANCE VEHICLE BY: NICK RITTENBERRY

WHO CREATED/STARTED AGVS? AGVs where created in 1953 when Barrett Electronics installed a tow tractor that transported parts by following a wire in the floor.

WHAT IS AN AGV? Computer-controlled wheel-based load carriers that travel along the floor of a facility without an operator or driver. They are typically battery powered. Their movement is directed by a combination of software and sensor-based guidance systems. They can be navigated by using guidance technologies such as floor-surface mounted magnetic tape or bars, lasers, optical sensors, and magnet/gyroscope based inertial guidance. Computer-based software uses wireless connections to collect data about each unit’s current location, then interfaces with software for destination and routing logic.

WHEN WAS THE AGV INVENTED? The first AGV system was built and introduced in 1953 by Barrett Electronics. It was a modified towing tractor that was used to pull a trailer and follow an overhead wire in a grocery warehouse. In 2003, Dr. Hans Moravec and Dr. Scott Friedman founded Seegrid Corporation, the first manufacturer of vision-guided flexible AGVs.

WHERE DID AGVS ORIGINATE? The first AGV was originated in Barrett Electronics.

WHY ARE AGVS USED? Once on an AGV items are tracked, therefor making it harder for product to be “lost” or misplaced. AGVs reliable and have on-time delivery, and can improve scheduling capabilities and the efficiency of operations. AGVs always follow their guide path and stop if they encounter an obstruction, improving the safety of surrounding personnel. AGVs handle products gently, reducing scrap and waste.

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