Multiagent Coordination Enabling Autonomous Logistics

This book describes the implementation of autonomous control with multiagent technology. Therewith, it tackles the challenges of supply network management caused by the complexity, the dynamics, and the distribution of logistics processes. The paradigm of autonomous logistics reduces the computational complexity and copes with the dynamics locally by delegating process control to the participating objects. As an example, shipping containers may themselves plan and schedule their way through logistics networks in accordance with objectives imposed by their owners. The technologies enabling autonomous logistics are thoroughly described and reviewed. The presented solution has been used in a realistic simulation of real-world container logistics processes. The validation shows that autonomous control is feasible and that it outperforms the previous centralised dispatching approach by significantly increasing the resource utilisation efficiency. Moreover, the multiagent system relieves human dispatchers from dealing with standard cases, giving them more time to solve exceptional cases appropriately. Front Matter....Pages i-xvi Front Matter....Pages 1-1 Introduction....Pages 3-10 Supply Network Management....Pages 11-36 Autonomous Control in Logistics....Pages 37-69 Front Matter....Pages 71-71 Agent Technology....Pages 73-103 Potential for Cooperation in Autonomous Logistics....Pages 105-128 Team Formation in Autonomous Logistics....Pages 129-150 Team Action in Autonomous Logistics....Pages 151-174 Front Matter....Pages 175-175 Implementing Autonomous Logistics....Pages 177-194 A Case Study in Container Logistics....Pages 195-222 Transition to Autonomous Logistics....Pages 223-260 Conclusion and Outlook....Pages 261-268 Back Matter....Pages 269-272