Drives beneath storage pods, lifts them entirely off the floor, and delivers them to ergonomic picking stations — eliminating walking and maximising pick rates without any fixed conveyor infrastructure.
A Latent Mobile Robot (LMR) — sometimes called a pod-lifting or sub-drive AGV — is a compact, floor-running robot that slides beneath a freestanding storage pod, engages a central lifting pin, and raises the entire pod 3–5 cm off the floor. It then navigates autonomously to a picking workstation (port), where an operator picks the required SKU. The pod is then returned to storage and the next pod dispatched — all without the operator moving more than 1–2 steps.
Because the pods are free-floating and not attached to any racking, the storage layout can be instantly reconfigured by the Fleet Management System (FMS). No aisles are fixed; robots pack inventory into a dense matrix and open a "virtual aisle" only when retrieval is needed — achieving 30–40% higher storage density vs conventional shelving.
Econocontrol integrates LMR fleets with barcode / QR / RFID pod identification, WMS order-slotting algorithms, and multi-zone picking stations to scale from 5 robots to 500+ in the same facility.
Storage pods stand freely — no bolts, no floor anchors. Full warehouse reconfiguration in hours, not weeks. Ideal for seasonal SKU mix changes.
Dual-layer navigation: QR code floor grid for ±10 mm docking precision + SLAM LiDAR for open-floor obstacle avoidance with no infrastructure wiring.
Robots autonomously dock at charging stations when battery dips below threshold. Opportunity charging between picks keeps uptime above 22 h/day.
360° laser safety field, emergency-stop on all faces, and PL-d rated safety PLC. Human-robot shared zones certified to EN ISO 3691-4.
FMS tracks velocity and re-slots fast-movers closer to picking ports overnight, reducing average travel time 20–35% with no manual intervention.
REST/SOAP API + standard WMS connectors (SAP, Oracle, Manhattan, GreatWall). Real-time inventory feeds — no separate middleware layer required.
| Drive Type | 4-wheel differential drive |
|---|---|
| Max Speed | 2.0 m/s (laden) / 2.5 m/s (unladen) |
| Pod Lift Capacity | 500 kg |
| Lift Stroke | 30–50 mm (cam-lock pin) |
| Navigation | SLAM LiDAR + QR floor grid |
| Positioning Accuracy | ±10 mm at pod dock |
| Robot Dimensions (L×W×H) | 680 × 600 × 340 mm |
| Robot Weight | 75 kg |
| Battery Capacity | 48 V / 40 Ah lithium-iron |
| Runtime per Charge | ≥ 8 h (standard duty) |
| Charge Time | 2 h full; opportunity charging |
| Safety | ISO 3691-4, PL-d, EN 1525 |
| IP Rating | IP54 |
| Operating Temperature | -10°C to +40°C |
| Pod Footprint | 600×600 mm to 1,200×800 mm |
|---|---|
| Pod Height (max) | 1,800 mm |
| Shelves per Pod | 4–8 adjustable levels |
| Min Fleet Size | 5 robots |
| Max Fleet Size | 500+ robots per zone |
| Picking Ports | 1 port per 8–15 robots |
| Throughput per Port | 300–500 picks/h |
| Floor Flatness Required | FF ≥ 40 (ASTM E1155) |
| Grid Sticker Spacing | 500 mm × 500 mm |
| Communication | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (5 GHz) |
| FMS Connectivity | REST API, MQTT, OPC-UA |
| WMS Interface | SAP, Oracle, custom adapters |
Peak-season scalability — add robots in days, not months. Handles high-mix, low-volume B2C order profiles with <30-min SLA fulfilment.
FEFO-compliant pod slotting with full lot-number traceability. Clean-room rated variants available. Integrates with GxP-validated WMS.
Multi-channel (store replenishment + DTC) from a single pod matrix. Dynamic zone allocation by channel priority at order drop time.
Tenant-partitioned pod zones, per-client billing metrics via FMS, and rapid client onboarding with preconfigured pod templates.
Person-following and autonomous cart transport for goods movement without racking pods.
AMR with onboard belt conveyor for tote/carton transfer between fixed conveyor lines.
High-throughput carton sorting and transfer at rates up to 1,000+ units/h.
Get a free throughput simulation with your SKU profile and floor plan — no commitment required.
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