Rearrangement of multiple objects by a robot group having a multi-task function

A robot having a multi-task function can carry more than two objects simultaneously; however, a robot without that function can carry only one at any given time. A multi-task function robot has the potential to shorten the transfer path, which reduces the process time; however, a single-function robot does not have that capability. In this paper, a planning algorithm that consists of Simulated Annealing and Scheduling with prioritization rules for a robot group having a multi-task function is proposed. Experiments are conducted in a real environment to validate the proposed algorithms.