transportoare

Transportoare is a generic term used to describe devices and systems that move people or goods within a bounded area. It encompasses a range of solutions from simple manual carts to fully automated vehicles, and it is commonly used in warehouses, factories, hospitals, and large campuses.

Manual transportoare include hand carts, platform trolleys, and pallet jacks that require human push or pull effort. Powered manual variants add motors to move heavy loads with less effort, such as electric pallet trucks and ride-on movers. Forklift trucks are a common form of heavier manual-to-automated transfer equipment.

Automated transportoare refer to autonomous or semi-autonomous units that navigate environments using sensors and guidance systems. This category includes automated guided vehicles (AGVs), autonomous mobile robots (AMRs), and autonomous trolleys designed for pallet handling or piece-picking.

Operation and control rely on manual input for non-autonomous units and onboard software with external supervision for automated units. Navigation can be fixed-path using guide wires or magnetic tapes, or flexible with SLAM and LIDAR in autonomous mobile robots. Safety features include speed limits, obstacle detection, emergency stop, and pedestrian zones.

Applications are widespread in internal logistics, inbound and outbound handling, assembly lines, hospital supply rooms, airports, and retail logistics.

History: the concept evolved from simple hand carts to powered equipment in the 20th century and automated systems in the late 20th and early 21st centuries.

See also: material handling, forklift, pallet jack, AGV, AMR.