Decentralized RPA Organization for Orchestrator-Free Coordination
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current RPA platforms require expensive orchestrator components for coordination, are limited in scalability, and necessitate complex maintenance, making them costly and inefficient, especially in multi-network environments.
Innovation Solution
A decentralized robotic process automation network allows software robots to self-organize without an orchestrator, enabling plug-and-play functionality, role-based task distribution, and dynamic workload estimation using machine learning, with features like disaster recovery and high availability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a centralized orchestrator component is used to coordinate RPA robots, then task coordination and management are achieved, but system complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the centralized orchestrator component from the RPA system architecture. Robots are empowered to autonomously discover each other and coordinate tasks through peer-to-peer communication, eliminating the need for complex centralized management infrastructure while maintaining task coordination capabilities.
Solution Approach 2:
RPA robots autonomously perform discovery, selection, and task coordination functions that would traditionally require a centralized orchestrator. Each robot independently discovers available workers, selects appropriate tasks, and manages its own workload, enabling the system to self-organize without external coordination infrastructure.
2Device complexity
If disconnected software robots are used for simple use cases, then system simplicity is maintained, but scalability and productivity are limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an overlay network as a virtual communication layer that enables simple disconnected robots to interact and coordinate tasks. This intermediary network layer allows robots to discover each other and share work opportunities without requiring complex centralized infrastructure, bridging the gap between simplicity and scalability.
Solution Approach 2:
The system adds a virtual overlay network dimension to the physical robot infrastructure. This additional communication dimension enables robots to connect and coordinate across network boundaries without increasing physical system complexity, allowing simple robots to achieve collective scalability through virtual networking.
3Adaptability or versatility
If traditional RPA platforms are deployed in multi-network environments, then broader system access is enabled, but complexity and cost increase due to orchestrator requirements
Solution Approach 1:
RPA robots autonomously perform network discovery and cross-network communication without requiring orchestrator-mediated coordination. Each robot independently discovers other robots across network boundaries and establishes direct peer-to-peer connections, enabling multi-network operation without additional orchestrator complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
A computer implemented method, computer readable storage medium, and computer system of operating a robotic process automation organization network comprising multiple software robots. The method includes receiving a task by a main robot via the network. The main robot is one of the multiple software robots. The task comprises a code package. The method also includes broadcasting a multicast request for services by the main robot to multiple software robots. Each robot is implemented as a computer program on individual computer systems of multiple computer systems via the network. The method further includes receiving a response by at least a portion of the multiple software robots via the network and selecting at least one worker robot from the multiple robots by the main robot and distributing at least a portion of the code package to the at least one worker robot by the main robot.