Dual Robot Path Planning in Simulated Lab-Scaled Flexible Manufacturing System

In the current dynamic manufacturing landscape, achieving higher productivity, adaptability, and safety has become significant. As industries evolve, the integration of robotics into flexible manufacturing systems (FMS) has emerged as a critical solution for achieving these demands. However, traditional manufacturing systems face challenges in optimizing this coordination, hindering the realization of maximum productivity. This project aims to establish a synchronized dual-robot system to enhance material handling efficiency in a laboratory-scale Flexible Manufacturing System (FMS). The FMS includes critical components like loading/unloading stations, a charging station, two mobile robots, and four machines, replicating real-world manufacturing conditions on a smaller scale. The primary project objectives involve creating a collision avoidance mechanism for guiding the two robots and implementing a coordination and path planning system in a virtual laboratory-scale. To accomplish these goals, the project leverages the TurtleBot3 version of ROS (Robot Operating System) to construct a virtual simulation environment within Gazebo. A systematic approach is employed to meet these objectives. This paper conducts a comparative analysis of two prominent local planner approaches: the Dynamic Window Approach (DWA) and the Timed Elastic Band (TEB) local planners. The project concludes by underscoring the significance of the developed dual-robot coordination and path planning system within the virtual Gazebo environment for material. Additionally, it offers insights into the strengths and weaknesses of the DWA and TEB local planners.