AGV

AGVs are typically acquired on a per-unit or per-rental period cost. This means that costs won’t fluctuate as much as human labour, which can change based on market conditions and demand.

Setup costs: $34,000
Robot cost: $14,000 per robot $280,000 total
Integration and other costs: $56,000

Total cost: $384,000

AMR

The industry is working towards standards and systems that enable multi-robot fleets, but it remains a problem. Some vendors even tie you into their specific cloud-based fleet manager and charge hefty annual fees for their continued use.

Because you need a fleet manager to prevent the robots from colliding with each other, you also need to ensure that connectivity with the robots is good at all times.

If Wi-Fi in your facility is not good in all locations where the robots are likely to be, you may need to upgrade your Wi-Fi so the robots can remain in constant contact with the fleet manager. This, of course, adds to the cost of your installation.

While AMRs are great for many applications, the barrier to entry remains high, and vendor lock-in is also a problem.

Setup costs: $60,000 total
Robot cost: $30,000 per robot $600,000 total
Integration and other costs: $180,000

Total cost: $870,000

Smart AGV

Because smart-AGVs are relatively simple to deploy, you can get most of the benefits of an AMR without their associated cost and complexity.

Large integration projects are not always needed, thus dramatically lowering the entry barrier. Users can start small, gain experience, and then move to a more complex setup.

Setup costs: $18,000
Robot cost: $9,000 per robot $180,000 total
Integration and other costs: $18,000

Total cost: $225,000

We have created a white paper to get all the information about AGV, AMR and SMART AGV. Download the white paper now –