Automated guided vehicle (AGV)

An automated guided vehicle (AGV) is a driverless vehicle that follows fixed guidance laid into or onto a facility: magnetic tape, embedded wires, floor markers or laser reflectors. AGVs move pallets, carts and parts along set routes and stop when something blocks the way.

The distinction matters because AGVs and [AMRs](/glossary/amr) solve the same problem differently. AGVs are predictable and well suited to heavy, repetitive routes, but changing a route means changing the infrastructure. Many deployments described as AGVs are now hybrids that add natural-feature navigation, so the label alone does not settle how flexible a system is.