Research Summary 📃 Robotic mobile fulfillment (RMF) systems automate storage and transportation within fulfillment centers while still relying on human pickers. We focus on two key performance metrics in these systems, aiming to minimize overall completion time (OCT) as the primary objective and the number of required robots (NRR) as a secondary objective. We investigate two interrelated operational problems influencing these metrics: (i) pod selection, which involves choosing the mobile racks (pods) for item picking, and (ii) pod scheduling, which entails assigning these racks to pickers and determining the picking sequence.

May 6, 2025

Research Highlight 🔍 Rapid urbanization and increasing e-commerce demand worldwide are putting pressure on urban transportation systems, causing a notable rise in negative externalities such as traffic accidents, road congestion, and pollution. The use of diesel vehicles for intra-city deliveries significantly contributes to greenhouse gas emissions, with last-mile deliveries alone accounting for up to 30% of urban CO2 emissions. Crowdshipping, which involves city residents fulfilling package delivery requests, is a rising concept that could significantly reduce these negative externalities.

Aug 1, 2024

Jul 1, 2022