An Order-Picking Model Associated With Hospital Components and Solved by a Firefly Algorithm

Abstract

The health industry utilizes critical machines to treat and diagnose illness in patients. Most hospitals cannot afford to have such a machine unavailable; then, they choose to have many components of their critical machines stored inside a warehouse in the hospital. This strategy helps to avoid larger idle times when a machine breaks down. In this chapter, the firefly metaheuristic was selected to solve this problem. This algorithm is related to the behavior of fireflies when they search for potential mating partners. It is also used as a defense against other insects. This behavior consists in the light that they produce. This brightness is the key in this algorithm because, based on this concept, we can use it to attract other fireflies. This characteristic inspired the method to pick components in hospital warehouses.