Robots in the Factory: How 5G-Enabled AMRs can Boost Efficiency

January 07, 2025

Blog

Autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) are transforming the way work is carried out, from repetitive tasks on factory floors to operations in healthcare, retail, agriculture, and beyond.

Automated mobile robots (AMRs) are designed to navigate and perform tasks like locating and handling inventory autonomously within dynamic environments such as manufacturing facilities and warehouses. More versatile than automated guided vehicles (AGVs), which rely on fixed paths or external guidance systems, AMRs use sensors, cameras, and AI-driven technologies like simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) to navigate dynamically, avoiding obstacles and adapting to changing environments. This offers greater flexibility and efficiency.

Why Adopt AMRs?

AMRs can relieve some of the challenges faced by legacy factories, including labor shortages, inefficiencies, and high operational costs. They have nearly zero down time and they permit human workers to focus on higher-value activities. One area where AMRs excel is material handling, which is labor-intensive and prone to errors.

AMRs can also improve worker safety by taking over dangerous and physically demanding tasks such as heavy lifting or transporting materials through busy areas. By minimizing human involvement in hazardous tasks and environments, they reduce the risk of injuries, creating a safer and more efficient workplace.

Add 5G To the Mix

In industrial environments, WiFi is commonly used to operate autonomous mobile robots (AMRs). However, WiFi often faces challenges such as interference, limited range, and network congestion, which can reduce communication efficiency. Integrating 5G WiFi for use with AMRs addresses these limitations and enhances overall performance. 5G offers key advantages such as ultra-low latency, higher bandwidth, and broader coverage. This enables AMRs to process real-time data from sensors and cameras more efficiently, improving their ability to coordinate with other systems and equipment. Overall, 5G WiFi helps ensure continuous operation, better fleet coordination, and improved scalability for AMR systems.

AMRs Already In Action

Autonomous mobile robots are rapidly gaining traction in manufacturing, warehousing, and logistics environments due to their flexibility and ability to integrate easily with existing infrastructures. One recent example is the ASUS IoT collaboration with Portwell, a global leader in industrial embedded systems and solutions, in development of an AMR-enabled 5G AIoT Smart Factory in Taiwan. This collaboration has achieved remarkable results, including a warehouse logistics accuracy rate exceeding 99% and eliminating the need for three materials-handling personnel.

Previously, Portwell's warehouse operations required up to 10 personnel to manually handle material preparation and transportation twice daily—morning and afternoon. Tasks included counting materials, loading them onto pallets, using hydraulic trucks for delivery to the production line, and transporting finished products from the production floor to the warehouse for storage or shipment. These activities spanned three floors across the warehouse and production areas.

Thanks to the implementation of an ASUS IoT warehouse-control system over a custom 5G private network, the AMRs in Portwell’s are now able to navigate complex environments, including narrow passages and multi-floor operations, leveraging advanced obstacle avoidance and dynamic rerouting capabilities. Now, warehouse personnel are able to focus on real-time monitoring via a centralized display, enhancing quality control and optimizing production. In addition, the system automatically records material quantities, travel routes, and time data, providing accurate, real-time insights into inventory.

 

 

This 5G-enabled smart factory solution developed in collaboration between ASUS and Portwell has successfully improved efficiency, helping drive growth profit.

A Bright Future

There’s no doubt that 5G-enabled AMRs will be a solution that many companies turn to in the near future. The benefits are many and will continue to grow. However, these 5G-enabled solutions aren’t limited to manufacturing environments—they are also ideal for healthcare (supply transport), retail (in-store inventory tracking), agriculture (crop monitoring) and more. 

Learn more about the latest developments in smart AMRs by visiting ASUS IoT or contacting your local sales.