Overview
What this challenge is about.
Implement a simulated warehouse grid with 80 robots solving a pick-and-deliver workload. Design a decentralized coordination protocol (recommend a contract-net or auction-based mechanism for intersection priority). Compare against the current centralized scheduler on throughput (picks per hour), deadlock rate, and average robot idle time. Stress-test at 200 robots. Deliver a 5-page design memo + the simulator + a 3-minute video of the 200-robot run.
The Brief
What you'll do, and what you'll demonstrate.
Design a decentralized robot-coordination protocol that scales deadlock-free to 200 robots in simulation.
Earning criteria — what you'll demonstrate
- Design decentralized coordination protocols for physical agents
- Implement and stress-test a multi-agent simulator
- Reason about throughput / deadlock / fairness trade-offs
- Communicate a multi-agent design to a robotics audience
Program Fit
Where this fits in your program.
Sharpens the same skills your degree expects you to demonstrate.
Skills
Skills you'll demonstrate.
Each one shows up on your verified credential.
Careers
Roles this prepares you for.
Real titles. Real skill bridges. Pick the one closest to your trajectory.
Career paths this builds toward
Canonical rolesML Researcher
Designing and validating decentralized coordination protocols is the applied multi-agent research that robotics companies recruit researchers to lead.
This challenge sharpens
- multi-agent-coordination
- decentralized-algorithms
- simulation
Applied AI Scientist
Validating coordination protocols in simulation at 200-agent scale is core applied-AI-scientist work in robotics and logistics.
This challenge sharpens
- simulation
- multi-agent-coordination
- contract-net
Research Scientist
Stress-testing protocols and writing the design memo mirrors the rigor expected of a junior research scientist on a multi-agent systems team.
This challenge sharpens
- decentralized-algorithms
- simulation
- path-planning