Experimenting with algorithms to find optimal paths for a mobile robot system transporting goods in an automated warehouse

Abstract

Mobile robots are increasingly being used for goods transportation in automated warehouses. The study presents the experimental application of a routing algorithm to find the optimal paths for a mobile robot system transporting goods. The algorithms were first developed and tested in a simulation model, then experimentally applied to control the robot system in three warehouse layouts with increasing levels of detail and complexity, as designed by the research team. Several algorithmic improvements were studied to address practical issues, including path direction rules, priority at intersections, waiting rules at choke points (warehouse doors). During the experiments, the physical robot operated under real-world conditions and updated its movement trajectory in real-time on the computer program interface, which shows the efficient processing results with fast computation times, while the verified trajectory achieved an optimal level of operational performance and stable operation across multiple task scenarios. These results provide researchers and warehouse managers with insights to design and customise models according to practical conditions.