Tote induction in warehouse order fulfillment operations

A method for assigning orders by a computer system to a plurality of robots fulfilling orders in a warehouse with the assistance of a plurality of operators, each order including one or more items and each item stored at an item location in the warehouse, the method comprising:

• selecting, by a computer processor, an order set from a plurality of orders stored in a computer memory to be assigned to a first robot of the plurality of robots, the order set including one or more orders of the plurality of orders;
• the step of selecting including operating the computer processor to:
• form a plurality of groups in the warehouse, each group defining a region in the warehouse and each group including one or more robots and/or operators;
• select one of the plurality of groups as an anchor group based on a level of activity in the applicable region in the warehouse;
• assign a location within the region of the anchor group as an anchor location;
• and
• generate the order set for the first robot based in part on proximity of the one or more orders in the order set to the anchor location;
• and
• assigning the order set to the first robot for fulfillment.