Optimizing Item Allocation to Transport Robots in Warehouses and Factories

A study conducted by Hiroya Makino and Seigo Ito was selected for presentation at the 2024 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS).
In autonomous warehouses and factories, multiple transport robots are required to carry numerous packages to their destinations. The problem of finding collision-free paths for these robots has been widely researched in the field of multi-agent path finding (MAPF). In practice, however, it is not only necessary to plan the paths but also to determine which packages should be assigned to which robots. This assignment process involves an enormous number of combinations, making it a highly challenging optimization problem.
This study focuses on scenarios where packages have assigned delivery deadlines and proposes an effective allocation method to minimize delays. We developed an algorithm that calculates priority based on each package's delivery deadline and assigns packages to robots according to this priority, thereby improving delivery efficiency. This approach is expected to further enhance the operational efficiency of transport robots in autonomous warehouses and factories.

[Related Article]
Path Planning for High-Density Conveyance Areas in Warehouses / Factories

Title: Online Multi-Agent Pickup and Delivery with Task Deadlines
Authors: Makino, H., Ito, S.
Appears in: IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems
Presented: October 17, 2024
https://doi.org/10.1109/IROS58592.2024.10802597