A technical guide to autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) — free-roaming SLAM-based navigation versus fixed-path AGVs, fleet-level swarm coordination, and the local traffic rules that let hundreds of robots share a warehouse floor without a central planner recomputing every path.
A fixed-path AGV following floor magnets or wires is cheaper and more predictable, but every layout change means re-installing infrastructure. A SLAM-based AMR costs more per unit and needs more compute, but it re-routes around a spilled pallet or a rearranged aisle without anyone touching the floor — the right choice depends entirely on how often the warehouse layout is expected to change.