Skip to content

Robot Concepts

Understanding autonomous mobile robots in Waremax.

Overview

Robots are autonomous agents that execute tasks in the warehouse. They navigate between locations, transport items, and coordinate to avoid conflicts.

Topic Description
Movement Navigation and pathfinding
Task Lifecycle From assignment to completion
Battery Power management and charging
Maintenance Reliability and repair

Robot Model

Physical Properties

Property Description Typical Value
Speed Travel velocity 1.0-2.0 m/s
Acceleration Speed change rate 0.5-1.0 m/s²
Payload Carrying capacity 10-50 kg

State Machine

                ┌──────────────────────────────────────┐
                │                                      │
                v                                      │
┌─────────┐  assign  ┌──────────┐  arrive  ┌─────────┐│
│  IDLE   │ ──────> │ TRAVELING │ ──────> │ WORKING ││
└─────────┘         └──────────┘          └─────────┘│
     ^                    │                    │      │
     │                    │ blocked            │ done │
     │                    v                    │      │
     │              ┌──────────┐               │      │
     │              │ WAITING  │               │      │
     │              └──────────┘               │      │
     │                    │                    │      │
     │                    └────────────────────┘      │
     │                                                │
     └────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Robot States

State Description
Idle No current task, waiting for assignment
Traveling Moving toward destination
Waiting Blocked by traffic or resource
Working Performing task at station
Charging At charging station
Maintenance Under repair or scheduled maintenance

Fleet Management

Homogeneous Fleets

All robots have identical capabilities:

  • Same speed and capacity
  • Simplified assignment
  • Interchangeable robots

Fleet Sizing

Key considerations:

  • Throughput requirements: More robots = higher throughput (to a point)
  • Congestion: Too many robots cause traffic issues
  • Cost: Each robot has operational costs

Optimal Fleet Size

Find the "sweet spot":

                Throughput
                    │
                    │        ┌────────────
                    │       /
                    │      /
                    │     /
                    │    /
                    │   /
                    │  /
                    │ /
                    │/
                    └────────────────────── Robots
                              ↑
                        Sweet Spot

Task Execution

Basic Flow

  1. Assignment: Robot receives task
  2. Path Planning: Calculate route
  3. Travel: Navigate to destination
  4. Execute: Perform task action
  5. Complete: Return to idle or next task

Efficiency Metrics

Metric Formula
Utilization Working time / Total time
Travel ratio Travel time / Total task time
Idle ratio Idle time / Total time