Algorithms for the Collaborative Delivery Problem with Monitored Constraints

Lotte Blank, Kien C. Huynh, Kelin Luo, Anurag Murty Naredla

Abstract: We provide efficient algorithms to solve package delivery problems in which a sequence of drones work together to ‘optimally’ deliver a package from a source s to a target t. The package may be transferred from one drone to another only on a given line on which secure package transfers are ensured (we refer to this as monitored constraints). We allow the source and target to lie outside of this line. The drones have different starting locations, speeds, and rates of fuel consumption. Two notions of optimality are studied—fuel-efficient delivery (minimize total fuel consumption in a successful delivery), and fastest delivery (minimize total time for delivery).