Automated guided vehicle (AGV) Joshua Boswell 2/5/2018 2nd block

Definition An automated guided vehicle or automatic guided vehicle (AGV) is a portable robot that follows markers or wires in the floor, or uses vision, magnets, or lasers for navigation. They are most often used in industrial applications to move materials around a manufacturing facility or warehouse.

Creator Barrett Electronics Corporation invented the world's first AGV for industrial applications in 1954. The term AGV (Automatic Guided Vehicle) was actually introduced in the 1980's. Previously, AGVs were called driverless vehicles.

History of AGVs 1953 First AGV AGVs have come a long way Automatic Guided Vehicles have played a role in moving material and product for more than 50 years. The first AGV system was built and introduced in 1953. It was a modified towing tractor that was used to pull a trailer and follow an overhead wire in a grocery warehouse. By the late ’50s and early ’60s, towing AGVs were in operation in many types of factories and warehouses. AGVs have come a long way The first big development for the AGV industry was the introduction of a unit load vehicle in the mid 1970s. These unit load AGVs gained widespread acceptance in the material handling marketplace because of their ability to serve several functions: a work platform, a transportation device, and a link in the control and information system for the factory. Since then, AGVs have evolved into complex material handling transport vehicles ranging from mail handling AGVs to highly automated automatic trailer loading AGVs using laser and natural target navigation technologies.

Reference page http://egeminusa.com/automated-guided-vehicles/agv-education/history/