Prognostics-aware multi-robot route planning to extend the lifetime

Abstract

In the transition to Industry 4.0, manufacturing systems need more intelligent devices that are capable of automation. Prognostic-aware robotic systems are one of the key components of automation in manufacturing. Furthermore, prognostics-aware route planning is essential for the success of multi-robot teams during long-term and uninterrupted operations, while also extending robot lifetime and reducing maintenance costs. In this study, a Prognostics-aware Multi-Robot Route Planning (P-MRRP) algorithm is proposed for extending the lifetime of the robot team. In the P-MRRP algorithm, first, r outes are obtained from the Route Set Construction algorithm, and the most reliable set of routes is selected by calculating the Probability of Route Completion (PoRC) according to the reliability of the robot team. The proposed algorithm also considers the effect of load on robots during the route. In this study, the reliability of the robot is updated considering the travelled distances and loads of the robot between pickup and delivery nodes. The results of the P-MRRP algorithm are compared with the results of classical MRRP, which reveals that the lifetime of a mobile robot team can be extended using the P-MRRP algorithm.