This agent selects actions based on the agents current perception or the world and not based on past perceptions.
For example if a mars lander found a rock in a specific place it needed to collect then it would collect it, if it was a simple reflex agent then if it found the same rock in a different place it would still pick it up as it doesn't take into account that it already picked it up.
This is useful for when a quick automated response is needed, humans have a very similar reaction to fire for example, our brain pulls our hand away without thinking about any possibility that there could be danger in the path of your arm. We call these reflex actions