Novel Dynamic Vehicle Scheduling and Path Planning Algorithms for Mobile Robotic and AGV Warehouse Order Picking

Factory automation separates robots from operators. Developing soft robotics enables humans
to work in close collaboration with Automated Mobile Robot’s (AMR’s), leveraging a
humans full manipulative & decision-adaptive skills. Scheduling AMR movement in areas
also occupied by humans provides a key component in this capability. The project
requirement is driven by 10 yrs of massive growth in internet shopping that has had a huge
impact on the assembly of small orders & with multi-channel selling has profoundly affected
warehouse design. Order picking is usually the highest active cost element behind the passive
cost of inventory. The need for efficiency & accuracy is driving the sector to various forms of
pick automation. Industry experts expect future solutions to be vision guided, robotic piece
picking & shuttles roaming a facility to make a delivery in an environment where automated
materials handling, robotics & humans intermingle. This can only be fully realised if
appropriate scheduling systems are developed. The 12 month project aims to prove the
technical feasibility of a highly novel dynamic AMR scheduling solution, capable of
optimising the schedule of a large fleet (>50) of AMR’s operating in a soft robotics
environment. The project will develop the schedule control algorithms & demonstrate the
feasibility in both a controlled work space & in a small representative end user trial. The
scheduling solution will optimise the route of a large fleet of AMR’s so the time of travel for
each order is minimised while its timed arrival at the picking locations minimises the distance
walked between picking points by the operator, while also ensuring no vehicle collisions &
minimum waiting times.
Guidance has engaged with an innovative high growth distribution business to provide enduser
insight & representative trial facilities & is utilising specific schedule algorithm expertise
from the University of Birmingham School of Computer Science as sub-contractors.