Background
Autonomous mobile robots were deployed to move material between stations both inside and outside the cleanroom.
The deployment
A company-wide effort to put AMRs into material handling and scale them across facilities, staffed from the automation and operations teams.
My part
Validation of the robots and their transport routes in the working environment.
Validation Testing
I executed more than 10 test runs across the transport routes, covering:
- RoutesVerification that each route was unobstructed and completed repeatably.
- Signage and markingsSafety signage and navigation markings defining where the robots travel.
- CoordinationCoordination of material movement with the operations teams sharing those routes.
Test runs across the transport routes.
Fault Documentation
I documented the faults observed during the runs, with the location and the conditions for each one, so they could be corrected before the robots carried production material.
Network dropouts
Specific locations along the routes were more prone to dropping connection than others. I recorded the common spots with video evidence so the problem could be tied to a location rather than reported as intermittent.
Ghost obstacles
The robots detected obstacles that were not present, stopping on clear routes and making sudden micro turns and course corrections that cost travel time. I recorded where the robot departed from its mapped route, so the behavior could be worked as map calibration and obstacle avoidance rather than as random stops.
Navigation and stop faults
Faults at the route transitions where the robot has to hand off with facility equipment before it can pass. I documented which transitions faulted and what the robot was doing at the time.
Result
Supported deployment and validation of autonomous mobile robots for automated material handling, covering 10+ qualification test runs, route verification, safety and navigation markings, and location-specific fault documentation.
The AMR fleet was subsequently expanded and deployed across additional areas.
