CoRA is a research platform developed by ITL, based on the most advanced theories, specifically designed for the field of logistics and transportation. It is a comprehensive platform that enables the study and demonstration of academic problems at the strategic, tactical, and operative levels.
Examples include: at the strategic level, the Flow Refueling Location Problem (FRLP), which focuses on determining the optimal placement of charging stations; at the tactical level, the Vehicle Routing Problem (VRP), which optimizes task assignments for transport vehicles; and at the operative level, distributed Model Predictive Control (DMPC), which coordinates multiple vehicles traveling along their assigned paths.
Currently, the platform is equipped with five LIMO robots produced by the partner company AgileX, serving as the physical execution agents. For decision-making and control, it consists of a main control computer and embedded computers on each robot. The main control computer is connected to a large screen, where the first-person view of each robot's onboard camera can be displayed in real time. For positioning, CoRA is equipped with a rich set of sensors, including an indoor GPS and lidar. Additionally, two projectors on either side of CoRA can project the robots’ upcoming plans and intentions directly onto the physical roads. Based on the concept of digital twin, CoRA includes a 1:1 simulation system that enables more efficient testing and validation.
ITL’s research focus is not limited to specific autonomous driving technologies but is more oriented toward developing higher-level strategies for optimizing the collective behavior of vehicles in a future where autonomous driving is widely applied. With CoRA, such goals will be studied and demonstrated.
