Seeing what is invisible to others

The automotive industry continues to navigate to volatile market demands, the complexities of electric and internal combustion engine vehicle production, and logistic challenges. At the same time, firms are actively looking for new ways to make more flexible their process with the goal to accelerate time to market for finished products while boosting worker safety and sustainable practices.

In response to the structural challenges currently facing the automotive sector, advanced automation emerges as a strategic enabler. Within this framework, autonomous mobile robot (AMR) technology is fundamentally reshaping intralogistics processes by significantly enhancing the value chain through improved operational efficiency, traceability, adaptability and flexibility of internal flows, allowing the automotive sector to react to market demands and volume throughput. 

 AMRs also support future concepts of cell-based production to manage capital expenditure until demand builds and then quickly scaling additional cells with capacity. As intralogistics becomes tied more closely with the assembly line, AMRs coordinate more readily with production demands.

Broad robotics portfolio

ABB is renowned for providing robotics technology to, among others, the automotive industry. That includes everything from automated storage and retrieval systems (ASRS) to AMRs used for feeding parts lineside for assembly, as well as a wide range of robots for assembly. The company has a comprehensive suite of products that include articulated and collaborative industrial robots and controllers, as well as turnkey automation products, services and software. While it is not unique in providing AMR technology, what sets the company apart is its extensive portfolio. “By adding high precision hardware, easy to use software and AI based learning models, our AMRs are faster, safer and smarter,” explains Alfonso González, global managing director for AMR at ABB. 

Its latest product, the AMR Flexley® Mover P603, promises to efficiently carry payloads up to 1,500kg through complex automotive assembly environments using the latest autonomous technology. The AMR can save time and money compared to manual forklifts depending on application type and fleet size. The Flexley® Mover P603 can replace forklifts for specific horizontal floor-level intralogistics applications or they can work together with forklifts on the same workflow. 

Behind the hardware ABB also offers a comprehensive digital twin technology, including RobotStudio, an offline programming and simulation tool for robotic applications, and AMR Studio®, a software package that provides all the necessary tools to install, manage and monitor AMR fleets. The company has plans to merge the two into one digital twin package in the future as a single interface for the automation of factory intralogistics. 

Visual SLAM

ABB is advancing the capabilities of intelligent AMRs with the use of Visual Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (Visual SLAM) software. The AI-enabled 3D vision navigation technology provides performance and accuracy, even in the most dynamic and busy manufacturing environments. 

Using Visual SLAM software, the company’s AMRs, including the Flexley® Mover P603, can create a 3D map using input from cameras to detect and track natural features in the factory environment. The camera sensors are automatically calibrated before deployment, eliminating the need for manual tuning.

 The technology enables AMRs to locate their position and navigate the factory floor without requiring additional infrastructure and the automotive industry’s traditional use of magnetic tape. By eliminating that traditional method, Visual SLAM enables more flexible and accurate layouts.

 The map created by Visual SLAM is automatically updated whenever changes in the environment are detected, ensuring that the AMR navigates objects or personnel safely, while remaining accurately on course.

 AMR Studio

The management of the Visual SLAM-enabled AMRs is supported by ABB’s AMR Studio® software suite, which provides all the necessary tools to install and control the AMR fleet from a single platform.

The platform enables the user to map the factory environment in which the AMR will operate, define the paths it will use to navigate that environment and program the logic and missions the AMRs will follow.

In the new version, AMR Studio® simplifies deployment with no-code programming and real-time fleet management. Commissioning steps are streamlined in the suite to reduce setup time and simplify the deployment of the AMRs. Modifications to layouts, tasks and fleet behaviour can be managed independently without requiring external support or advanced technical skills.

In addition, automated tools handle repetitive processes and provide guided workflows to minimise the risk of errors during configuration and operation. AMR Studio® software reduces setup time by 20% and commissioning costs by 30%, according to ABB.

 The Fleet Manager function within AMR Studio® provides real-time visualisation and data monitoring, with an intuitive algorithmic software interface that simplifies fleet management and allows for adjustments and interventions as needed, ensuring the best possible routes are selected for maximum efficiency. The Fleet Manager gives the user full control of the AMR traffic flow on the shop floor. 

 The Fleet Manager platform is used to assign the optimal AMR to each mission. It also controls traffic flow for the entire fleet. Open APIs provide seamless integration with existing third-party systems, supporting interoperability and streamlining workflows. Users can then use the AMR Studio® to share the project file to the entire AMR fleet and launch the operation with a single click. 

 ABB also provides basic and advanced level trainings for commissioning, as well as the maintenance of AMR systems. 

Mobility for heavy payloads

The AMR Flexley® Mover P603 robot was added to ABB’s autonomous mobile robot product range in June this year and was on show at the Automatica 2025 trade show in Munich, Germany. ABB has three families of AMRs ready to meet the needs of customers with different demands: Flexley Tug, Flexley Stack and Flexley Mover. The P603 belongs to the later family, powered by Visual SLAM navigation and a differential bidirectional drive.

It is designed to handle payloads up to 1,500kg with accuracy and efficiency through complex intralogistics environments. The AMR P603 is part of ABB's new era of autonomous versatile robots, which can seamlessly switch between tasks in real time and with minimal effort.

The AMR P603 is compatible with AMR Studio® for easy integration and setup, and is suitable for end-of-line, line supply, kitting, goods-to-robot and inter-process connections. 

"Our autonomous mobile robots combine 3D vision with autonomous path planning to give our customers an unprecedented offering: robots that see, sense and think,” says Alfonso González. “Our leap in technology brings new levels of intelligence, adaptability and ease of use to intralogistics. For manufacturers, automakers, and logistics providers, it enables safer, smarter workflows with minimal complexity, enabling transformation with immediate impact." 

ABB is currently talking to 12 major passenger and truck manufacturers. That includes the biggest intralogistics deployment of its autonomous robotics technology at a major OEM based in the US, making it a pioneer among providers AMR products and services in the scope of its robotics application at the site. 

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