Title: Integrated Optimization of Machines and Mobile Robots in Flexible Manufacturing Systems
Speaker: Dr. Pranjal Vyas, Assistant Professor, BITS Pilani
Date & time: Nov 6, 2026 Friday, 14:30-15:30
Venue: IEOR 211 (Seminar Room), 2nd floor, IEOR building
Abstract: The increasing adoption of autonomous robots in manufacturing environments presents new challenges in coordinating machine operations, material transportation, and shared resources. Efficient operation requires integrated decisions involving machine scheduling, robot task allocation, transportation sequences, and finite buffer capacities.
This talk presents an integrated optimization framework for robotic manufacturing systems, combining mathematical scheduling models with a hybrid approach based on adaptive large-neighborhood search and constraint programming. Computational results demonstrate improvements in production makespan and computational efficiency compared with conventional scheduling approaches and standalone constraint programming. The talk will also highlight broader research experiences in autonomous robotics and industrial automation, and discuss future directions in dynamic scheduling, uncertainty-aware optimization, and coordinated multi-robot systems.
Short Bio: Dr. Pranjal Vyas is an Assistant Professor at BITS Pilani and a robotics researcher with over 12 years of experience spanning academia and industrial R&D. He received his Ph.D. in Robotics from IIT Bombay in 2017 and has previously held research positions at Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore, and the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore.
His research lies at the intersection of robotics, artificial intelligence, and operations research, with a focus on multi-robot coordination, intelligent task planning and scheduling, optimization, and human–robot collaboration. He has led the development of intelligent robotic systems for smart manufacturing, warehouse automation, and autonomous logistics, translating optimization and AI-driven planning algorithms into real-world industrial applications.
His contributions have been recognized through the A*STAR Scientific Achievement Award (2024) and the Wiley–IEEE Book Authorship Award (2022). He is also a co-author of Embedded Control for Robotic Applications, published by Wiley–IEEE Press. His current research focuses on developing intelligent, adaptive, and collaborative robotic systems that bridge algorithmic innovation with practical industrial deployment.