Retrofitting Legacy AGV with Low-Cost LIDAR and Industry 4.0 Technologies for Autonomous Navigation

Industry 4.0 (I4.0) technologies are key enablers for upgrading both green-field and legacy manufacturing systems. This paper explores how mobile robotics can be retrofitted into an I4.0 environment, emphasising the use of low-cost sensors to modernise existing (Industry 3.0) equipment at Edinburgh Napier University. A real-plant case study shows that a modest hardware upgrade, comprising a depth camera, ultrasonic array, and on-board simultaneous localisation and mapping (SLAM) software, boosts a legacy robot’s autonomous-navigation performance: the platform traverses a cluttered shop-floor layout, avoids dynamic obstacles, and completes its mission without human intervention. Results confirm that inexpensive sensor suites can bridge the gap between Industry 3.0 and I4.0, delivering the flexibility, efficiency, and responsiveness demanded by contemporary manufacturing while preserving prior capital investment.