Front Matter

Abstract

Automatic guided vehicles (AGVs) were one of the earliest applications for mobile robots. The first AGVs were deployed in the 1950s to transport materials in large facilities and warehouses. Mobile robot capabilities have advanced significantly in the past decades. This progress is due in large part to researchers at technical universities who have made tremendous strides in applying computer control and sensors to mobile platforms for uses in applications such as manufacturing, health care, military, and emergency response. As industrial vehicles gained more capabilities, the “A” in AGV began to transition from “automatic” to “automated” in informal usage. This mirrors the progress in guided vehicles in areas such as safety sensing and reacting. Further advancements in mobile robotics, such as in more general-purpose sensing, planning, communications, and control, are paving the way for an era where the “A” stands for “autonomous.” This evolution in onboard intelligence has greatly expanded the potential scope of applications for AGVs and thus raised the need for standard means of measuring performance.