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Autonomous Mobile Robot for Warehouse Logistics
Subject area: Science,Engineering and Technology · Area of research: Robotics
Abstract
Warehouses move large volumes of goods between receiving, storage and dispatch areas. Manual trolleys and forklifts are slow, labour intensive and carry accident risk, while conveyors, automated guided vehicles (AGVs) and commercial autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) need fixed infrastructure or an investment that small warehouses cannot justify. This paper presents the design of a low-cost, remotely commanded mobile robot for load transport that protects itself with onboard obstacle sensing. An ESP32 controller receives movement commands (forward, reverse, left, right, stop and five speed levels) wirelessly from a mobile device, measures the distance ahead with an HC-SR04 ultrasonic sensor, and drives two DC geared motors through an L293D dual H-bridge driver. A three-zone safety rule allows normal driving at 40 cm or more, reduces speed and beeps between 20 cm and 40 cm, and stops the motors with a continuous buzzer and an LCD warning at 20 cm or less. The robot also stops automatically when no command is received for 1 s. Design calculations for a 2 kg payload on a 1.5 kg chassis give a speed of about 0.34 m/s, a required torque of about 0.46 kgf·cm against 1–2 kgf·cm available per motor, a stopping distance of about 6 cm against the 20 cm limit, and a continuous driving time of about 2.3 h. Prototype testing and measured results are planned as the next phase.
Keywords
Autonomous Mobile Robot; Warehouse Logistics; ESP32; Ultrasonic Obstacle Detection; L293D Motor Driver; Link-loss Failsafe; Load Transport; Wireless Control; Low-cost Automation
References
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[3] Fragapane G, de Koster R, Sgarbossa F, Strandhagen JO. Planning and control of autonomous mobile robots for intralogistics: Literature review and research agenda. European Journal of Operational Research. 2021;294(2):405–426.
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[8] Espressif Systems. ESP32 series datasheet. Shanghai: Espressif Systems.
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How to cite this paper
@article{1724386,
author = {Abhirag K, Kanishkar S, Mohamed Aslam, Vishnu KK, Dr. C. Infant Vinoth},
title = {Autonomous Mobile Robot for Warehouse Logistics},
journal = {Iconic Research And Engineering Journals},
year = {2026},
volume = {10},
number = {4},
pages = {5112-5122},
issn = {2456-8880},
url = {https://www.irejournals.com/formatedpaper/1724386.pdf},
abstract = {Warehouses move large volumes of goods between receiving, storage and dispatch areas. Manual trolleys and forklifts are slow, labour intensive and carry accident risk, while conveyors, automated guided vehicles (AGVs) and commercial autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) need fixed infrastructure or an investment that small warehouses cannot justify. This paper presents the design of a low-cost, remotely commanded mobile robot for load transport that protects itself with onboard obstacle sensing. An ESP32 controller receives movement commands (forward, reverse, left, right, stop and five speed levels) wirelessly from a mobile device, measures the distance ahead with an HC-SR04 ultrasonic sensor, and drives two DC geared motors through an L293D dual H-bridge driver. A three-zone safety rule allows normal driving at 40 cm or more, reduces speed and beeps between 20 cm and 40 cm, and stops the motors with a continuous buzzer and an LCD warning at 20 cm or less. The robot also stops automatically when no command is received for 1 s. Design calculations for a 2 kg payload on a 1.5 kg chassis give a speed of about 0.34 m/s, a required torque of about 0.46 kgf·cm against 1–2 kgf·cm available per motor, a stopping distance of about 6 cm against the 20 cm limit, and a continuous driving time of about 2.3 h. Prototype testing and measured results are planned as the next phase.},
keywords = {Autonomous Mobile Robot; Warehouse Logistics; ESP32; Ultrasonic Obstacle Detection; L293D Motor Driver; Link-loss Failsafe; Load Transport; Wireless Control; Low-cost Automation},
month = {October},
}