Shortest path problem with multiple goals on a grid

[hddd123456789]

Hi, I've been reading up a bit on the shortest path problem in graph theory and was wondering if the problem I'm trying to solve is a variation of the same graph theory problem.

Say you have a grid of vertices and edges representing aisles and cross-aisles in a warehouse. In a standard picking problem, you will have to go and pick items up in various locations throughout the warehouse.

The algorithm that I found is for single pair shortest path meaning that there is one source and one goal. Am I right in thinking that what I need is an algorithm that takes a single source with multiple goals (pick locations) and then finds the shortest path from the source that goes through all the goals? Is there such an algorithm?

 

[AlephZero]

See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Travelling_salesman_problem

 

[haruspex]

It might be much more tractable than the general TSP. E.g. if a candidate solution has a step from node A to node B, and there is a node C within the rectangle with corners A. B, then you might as well visit C on the way from A to B.