Once a facility decides to bring in an autonomous mobile robot (AMR), the next question is how that robot will get its orders. The robot dispatch model a facility chooses shapes how quickly the robot goes to work and how easily it fits into the way people already do their jobs.
Most AMRs follow one of two approaches. In a fleet-dispatched setup, central software assigns every task, while in a user-operated setup, the people doing the work send the robot themselves. A third option combines the two by starting with a user-operated robot that can connect to central software when the facility is ready for it, and for most facilities, that hybrid is the most practical place to start.
What Robot Dispatch Means for an AMR
Robot dispatch is the process that decides which robot goes where and when. It covers how a task is created and who has the authority to start, stop, or redirect a trip.
The source of that decision is what separates the models. A fleet-dispatched AMR takes its tasks from software that sees every robot in the facility, and a user-operated AMR takes its tasks from the person standing next to it. Both models can run on robots with similar navigation capabilities, so the choice mostly affects how work is assigned and who controls it day to day.
How Fleet-Dispatched AMRs Work
In a fleet-dispatched model, robot dispatch is handled by a central software platform, often called a fleet manager, which assigns tasks based on each robot’s availability and location. These platforms are frequently connected to a warehouse management system (WMS) or manufacturing execution system (MES), so a task can be created automatically when an order is released or a workstation runs low on material.
This model is common in large distribution centers and highly automated plants, where dozens of robots share the same floor and the work follows a predictable pattern.
Benefits
- Coordination at scale: The fleet manager tracks every robot, so it can manage traffic at intersections and queue or sequence robots at busy stations.
- Automatic task creation: Tasks come directly from production or inventory systems, which removes the step of a person deciding when to send a robot.
- Consistency in predictable environments: Facilities with stable layouts and repeatable routes get dependable performance once the system is tuned.
Drawbacks
- IT infrastructure and longer deployments: Server setup and system integration can add weeks or months to a project before the first robot moves material.
- Higher upfront cost: Fleet software licensing and integration work are often priced separately from the robots themselves.
- Less flexibility on the floor: Ad hoc requests usually have to go through the central system, which can slow down a worker who needs a cart for an unplanned task.
- Network dependency: If the central system or the network connection goes down, robots may stop receiving new tasks until it is restored.
- Vendor lock-in: Many fleet managers work only with one manufacturer’s robots, which limits the facility’s choices when it adds equipment later.
How User-Operated AMRs Work
In a user-operated model, staff send the robot themselves from an onboard touchscreen or a mobile app. The person loading the cart chooses the destination and starts the trip when the load is ready, with no central system between that person and the robot.
This model is common in manufacturing cells, labs, and hospitals, where the people moving materials also know best when a delivery needs to happen.
Benefits
- Fast deployment: With no servers or integration work required, some user-operated AMRs can be mapped and running routes in under an hour.
- Staff adoption: Workers decide when and where the robot goes, which makes the robot easier to accept. Our post on how workplace robots fit into your team’s skilled work covers why that sense of control matters during an introduction.
- Flexibility for daily changes: Staff can handle exceptions and shifting priorities as they come up by sending the robot wherever it is needed next.
- Lower cost: The purchase typically covers the robot and its software without a separate fleet management license or integration project.
Drawbacks
- No robot-to-robot coordination: Each robot works independently, so robots sharing a path do not plan around each other’s tasks.
- No automatic triggers: Trips start when a person starts them, so events in a WMS or MES cannot create tasks on their own.
- More difficult at large scale: Managing many robots, or robots from several vendors, becomes harder without a central view of the whole fleet.
The Hybrid Approach to Robot Dispatch
A hybrid robot dispatch model starts with a user-operated robot and adds software interfaces that let it connect to a central dispatcher when the facility needs one. That dispatcher can be the customer’s own system, such as a WMS or an internally developed tool, or a third-party orchestration platform that coordinates robots across vendors.
This approach gives a facility the fast deployment and staff control of a user-operated robot on day one. When the operation grows, the same robots can take tasks from central software without a hardware change or a switch to a new vendor.
Several practical advantages come from that sequence:
- No upfront spending on orchestration: Facilities pay for central coordination only once there is a clear need for it, rather than at the start of a pilot.
- Choice of dispatcher: The customer decides whether to connect their own system or a third-party platform, instead of being limited to a single vendor’s fleet manager.
- One platform from pilot to fleet: The robots and maps from the first deployment carry forward as the fleet grows.
- Staff control can stay in place: Depending on how the central system is configured, staff can continue sending a robot from the touchscreen for one-off tasks after integration.
When Your Robot Dispatch Needs Will Change
Most facilities do not need central coordination for their first one to three robots. The need usually shows up as the deployment grows, and a few signals tend to appear first:
- Shared paths: More than about three robots regularly use the same aisles, doorways, or stations.
- Queuing and sequencing: Robots need to wait their turn at a busy station or deliver loads in a specific order.
- System-triggered tasks: The facility wants trips to start automatically from WMS or MES events instead of from a person.
- Mixed fleets: The facility runs, or plans to run, robots from more than one manufacturer.
A large new facility designed around WMS-driven automation, with 20 or more robots planned from the start, may be better served by a central system that is part of the original design. For most facilities starting with a few robots, a hybrid robot dispatch model keeps that option open without requiring the cost and setup at the beginning.
How the Model C2 Handles Robot Dispatch
The Quasi Model C2 is built around the hybrid model. Staff map the facility and build routes directly on the cart’s touchscreen, and they can start existing routes from the C2 Remote app. The C2 navigates without floor markers or facility modifications, and the AMR Implementation Playbook walks through a first deployment step by step.
For facilities that want to connect their own systems, the C2 offers a WebSocket API. Through it, a customer’s dispatcher or WMS can send the same movement commands staff use on the touchscreen, including calling a cart and starting or stopping routes. Usage data such as distance traveled and time operating is available through a separate HTTP request. The APIs and Integrations page covers these options in more detail.
For larger or mixed-vendor fleets, the C2 integrates with InOrbit’s robot operations platform, which adds centralized visibility and coordination features such as queuing and sequencing. Our post on fleet orchestration for Model C2 AMRs with InOrbit explains how that integration works.
Cloud Connect continues to handle settings for each robot, such as zones, along with movement and ROI reporting. Which Model C2 Fits Your Facility? compares the full lineup.
If you are deciding how your first AMR should receive its tasks, or planning for how that might change as your operation grows, contact Quasi Robotics to talk through your floor layout and the workflows your team runs today.