Simulation of an Optimized Last-Mile Parcel Delivery Network Involving Delivery Robots

Abstract

Delivery robots represent a rather new technology, which has been developed in recent years. These robots drive with walking speed on sidewalks and have unit capacity. The advantage is that these robots are able to drive autonomous and a single operator can manage a fleet of robots. This enables deliveries to be made within a time slot chosen by the customer. Delivery robots are suitable for deliveries of small goods such as groceries, medicine, food, or parcels. In this contribution, a simulation model for a parcel delivery network on the last-mile is presented. The model represents deliveries from a hub, which is close to an urban area, to customers. In addition to conventional delivery vehicles, the delivery with parcel robots is examined. Decision processes of the simulation are supported by mathematical optimization. In the optimization, two extension of the Traveling Salesman Problem are solved heuristically. To evaluate the simulation we created a case study based on real world data from parcel delivery company Hermes.