Multiagent Coordination Enabling Autonomous Logistics

Abstract

This dissertation develops coordination mechanisms for the implementation of autonomous control in logistics 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 (such as shipping containers). The dissertation specifies and implements the cooperative problem-solving process for autonomous logistics. 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.