Author Description

AGVS-5 surveys current design and applications of Automated Guided Vehicles and points to future developments. The keynote paper by Professor Baumgarten of the Technical University of Berlin considered trends in German industry, and application papers went on to discuss the use of AGVs in flexible manufacturing, including the use of AGVS and AS/RS in integrated factory automation. Technical papers considered, amongst other topics, artificial intelligence techniques in AGVS, ultrasonic guidance of autonomous vehicles and autonomous robots for hazardous environments. The final session looked at planning techniques, including a flexible AGVS simulator and a rational approach for evaluating the number of AGVs. Invited contributors from Europe, North America and Asia gathered to make this a truly international event.