Robotics · Autonomous Mobile Robot (AMR)
80 kg Payload Autonomous Mobile Robot with Nav2 & LiDAR SLAM, case study.
For an Indian manufacturing warehouse client, Yantrix engineered an 80 kg payload AMR from scratch — mechanical chassis, dual-motor skid-steer drivetrain, embedded ESP32 control, and a ROS 2 Humble Nav2 stack running on Jetson Orin Nano with 2D LiDAR SLAM.
By Yantrix Engineering · Robotics Studio2 min readWarehousing & Factory Logistics
Overview
Why this study matters
End-to-end development of an 80 kg payload industrial AMR — custom skid-steer chassis, Nav2 autonomous navigation, LiDAR SLAM, and ESP32 motor controller integration in 16 weeks.
Client: An Indian automotive components warehouse operating a 20,000 sq ft facility
Project Type: Robotics Development (AMR + ROS 2 + Mechatronics)
Industry: Warehousing & Factory Logistics
Service Used: Robotics Development + ROS 2 Navigation + Embedded Controls
Results in numbers
What the engagement actually shipped.
- 80 kg
- Payload capacity design
- ROS 2
- Humble Nav2 navigation
- 1.2 m/s
- Operational velocity
- Sub-5 cm
- Docking precision target
Objectives
What the project needed to achieve
- Design an 80 kg payload skid-steer chassis fitting within a 700 x 550 mm footprint
- Implement autonomous LiDAR SLAM mapping and Nav2 path planning with dynamic obstacle avoidance
- Build custom embedded motor controller firmware with closed-loop optical encoder feedback
- Achieve ±3 cm docking precision at charging and drop-off stations
- Keep total unit BOM under ₹6.5 lakh per robot
Challenge
Engineering constraint
The client needed to automate pallet and bin movement across a 20,000 sq ft factory floor with tight aisles (1.2 m) and dynamic human traffic. Off-the-shelf commercial AMRs were priced at ₹25–40 lakh each with proprietary closed stacks that couldn't integrate with their custom ERP. They needed an open, ROS 2-native AMR capable of transporting 80 kg payloads safely with sub-5 cm docking precision.
Approach
How Yantrix approached the work
- 01Engineered a welded steel-plate chassis with powder-coated sheet metal enclosure, sized for 80 kg payload with a low center of gravity.
- 02Selected high-torque planetary BLDC hub motors and designed an ESP32-S3 CAN-bus motor controller board with dual quadrature encoder feedback for PID speed control.
- 03Integrated Slamtec RPLiDAR S2 (30m range) with depth-camera floor obstacle detection feeding into a ROS 2 Humble Nav2 costmap on a Jetson Orin Nano.
- 04Tuned the DWB local planner and TEB local planner for tight-corridor navigation, dynamic human-yield maneuvers, and AprilTag optical docking for ±2.5 cm terminal positioning.
- 05Conducted 120 hours of continuous endurance testing on the factory floor with full battery telemetry and automated return-to-charge behavior.
Outcomes
What improved by the end
- ±2.5 cm terminal docking repeatability using AprilTag fiducial alignment
- 1.2 m/s top operational velocity with safe dynamic obstacle braking under 400 ms
- 8.5 hours continuous runtime per charge under full 80 kg payload
- Unit BOM cost landed at ₹5.8 lakh — ~75% lower than imported commercial AMRs
- Successfully commissioned on the client's live warehouse floor with zero safety incidents
Deliverables
What the client receives
- Full mechanical CAD (SolidWorks) + fabrication drawings for chassis and sheet metal
- ROS 2 navigation and SLAM workspace with launch files and tuning parameters
- ESP32-S3 motor controller firmware (micro-ROS CAN bridge)
- Gazebo simulation model (URDF + collision meshes) for offline CI testing
- Commissioning documentation and operator safety manual
Tools used
Stack and tooling
- ROS 2 Humble (LTS)
- Nav2 Navigation Stack
- Slamtec RPLiDAR S2
- NVIDIA Jetson Orin Nano (8GB)
- ESP32-S3 with FreeRTOS & micro-ROS
- SolidWorks & ANSYS chassis FEA
- Foxglove Studio & RViz 2
Impact
Business-level effect
- Material handling throughput up by 55% in the primary logistics aisle
- Zero human-robot safety collision incidents over 6 months of continuous operation
- Client expanded project into a multi-AMR fleet deployment program
Conclusion
Building open-architecture AMRs on ROS 2 gives manufacturing teams full ownership over their automation roadmap without being locked into expensive proprietary software ecosystems.
Next step
Need a custom AMR or AGV built for your factory or warehouse layout? Let's discuss kinematics, payload requirements, and navigation targets.
Tagged
- AMR
- ROS 2
- Nav2
- LiDAR SLAM
- Robotics
- Jetson Orin
Visual results
Key views and intermediate artefacts
Nav2 costmap & SLAM in RViz
Frequently asked questions
Answers from the engagement itself.
Why build a custom AMR instead of buying off-the-shelf?
Custom AMRs win when you need specific payload geometries, tighter aisle navigation, or direct integration with local ERP/MES systems without recurring SaaS license fees. At ₹5.8 lakh BOM, custom builds deliver faster ROI for Indian manufacturers.
How reliable is Nav2 SLAM in crowded warehouse environments?
When tuned with dual costmaps (global static map + local dynamic rolling window) and 360° LiDAR filtering, Nav2 handles pedestrian crossings and temporary pallet clutter smoothly with sub-second path replanning.
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