AiVibeAutomated Guided Vehicle (AGV)
An automated guided vehicle (AGV) is a driverless vehicle that transports materials along predefined routes, guided by wires, magnetic tape, reflectors, floor markers or natural-feature navigation, under the control of a central system.
Traditional AGVs follow inductive wires buried in the floor or magnetic tape laid on it, laser-guided AGVs triangulate their position from reflectors, and newer vehicles use natural-feature navigation similar to AMRs. A central controller assigns transport orders, manages traffic at intersections and coordinates with conveyors, doors and lifts. Vehicle types include tuggers, unit-load carriers, forklift AGVs and heavy-load transporters.
AGVs have long been used in automotive assembly, paper and steel mills, warehouses and hospitals for repetitive, predictable flows of pallets, rolls, racks and car bodies. They suit high-volume routes where predictability and heavy loads matter more than route flexibility.
Safety relies on safety-rated scanners, bumpers, speed control and defined travel paths, with requirements set out in ISO 3691-4. Communication between vehicles and a master control can follow VDA 5050, an interface specification based on MQTT that allows mixed fleets from different manufacturers. The distinction between AGVs and AMRs has blurred as AGVs adopt natural-feature navigation.
Key points
- Follows predefined routes using wires, tape, reflectors or markers
- A central control system assigns orders and manages traffic
- Safety requirements are set out in ISO 3691-4
- VDA 5050 standardises communication with a master control over MQTT
Where AiVibe comes in
AiVibe designs and manufactures the AiAmbA AI Factory, whose edge devices and AI agents let people talk to robot controllers in plain language. Robotics perception is an AiAmbA use case, and robot safety functions follow ISO 10218 and never depend on the AI layer.