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An analytical hierarchy process-based approach to solve the multi-objective multiple traveling salesman problem

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Abstract

We consider the problem of assigning a team of autonomous robots to target locations in the context of a disaster management scenario while optimizing several objectives. This problem can be cast as a multiple traveling salesman problem, where several robots must visit designated locations. This paper provides an analytical hierarchy process (AHP)-based approach to this problem, while minimizing three objectives: the total traveled distance, the maximum tour, and the deviation rate. The AHP-based approach involves three phases. In the first phase, we use the AHP process to define a specific weight for each objective. The second phase consists in allocating the available targets, wherein we define and use three approaches: market-based, robot and task mean allocation-based, and balanced-based. Finally, the third phase involves the improvement in the solutions generated in the second phase. To validate the efficiency of the AHP-based approach, we used MATLAB to conduct an extensive comparative simulation study with other algorithms reported in the literature. The performance comparison of the three approaches shows a gap between the market-based approach and the other two approaches of up to 30%. Further, the results show that the AHP-based approach provides a better balance between the objectives, as compared to other state-of-the-art approaches. In particular, we observed an improvement in the total traveled distance when using the AHP-based approach in comparison with the distance traveled when using a clustering-based approach.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank the Center of Excellence and the Robotics and Internet-of-Things Unit at Prince Sultan University, Saudi Arabia, for their support of this work. The work is also supported by Gaitech Robotics.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. ENSI, University of Manouba, Manouba, Tunisia

    Sahar Trigui

  2. Cooperative Intelligent Networked Systems (COINS) Research Group, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

    Sahar Trigui & Anis Koubaa

  3. Taif University, Taif, Saudi Arabia

    Omar Cheikhrouhou

  4. Computer and Embedded Systems Lab, University of Sfax, Sfax, Tunisia

    Omar Cheikhrouhou

  5. Prince Sultan University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

    Anis Koubaa

  6. CISTER/INESC-TEC, ISEP, Polytechnic Institute of Porto, Porto, Portugal

    Anis Koubaa

  7. School of Computer Science, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, UK

    Anis Zarrad

  8. PRINCE Research Lab, University of Sousse, Sousse, Tunisia

    Habib Youssef

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  1. Sahar Trigui
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  2. Omar Cheikhrouhou
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Correspondence to Sahar Trigui.

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Trigui, S., Cheikhrouhou, O., Koubaa, A. et al. An analytical hierarchy process-based approach to solve the multi-objective multiple traveling salesman problem. Intel Serv Robotics 11, 355–369 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11370-018-0259-8

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