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Motion Planning

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May 1, 2024 Updated May 6, 2025 17 minute read

Motion Planning: Charting the Course for Autonomous Systems

Motion planning is a fundamental area within robotics and artificial intelligence that addresses the challenge of finding a valid sequence of movements for an object to travel from a starting point to a destination while avoiding obstacles. At a high level, it's about teaching machines how to navigate the complexities of the physical world. This involves understanding the environment, the capabilities of the moving entity (like a robot or a virtual character), and the rules governing its motion. For those new to the concept, imagine telling a robot how to get from one side of a cluttered room to another without bumping into furniture – that's motion planning in action.

Working in motion planning can be deeply engaging. It offers the thrill of solving intricate spatial puzzles that have real-world impact, from enabling self-driving cars to navigate busy streets, to guiding surgical robots with life-saving precision. The field is also at the forefront of innovation, constantly evolving with advancements in algorithms, sensor technology, and machine learning, providing a dynamic and intellectually stimulating career path. The ability to see your theoretical work translate into tangible actions performed by a robot or an autonomous system can be incredibly rewarding.

Introduction to Motion Planning

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Reading list

We've selected 23 books that we think will supplement your learning. Use these to develop background knowledge, enrich your coursework, and gain a deeper understanding of the topics covered in Motion Planning.
Offers a comprehensive and unified treatment of planning algorithms, with a significant focus on robot motion planning. It covers fundamental concepts, including configuration spaces and sampling-based methods. While not published within the last five years, it is widely considered a foundational text and is frequently used in academic courses. It valuable reference for both students and researchers.
This handbook comprehensive reference covering all major aspects of robotics, including extensive sections on motion planning. It features contributions from leading experts in the field, providing in-depth coverage of various topics. It is an excellent resource for researchers and professionals seeking detailed information on specific motion planning techniques.
Provides a strong theoretical foundation in robot motion, covering essential algorithms and their practical implementations. It's a widely recommended text for students and researchers in robotics. It delves into topics crucial for understanding how robots navigate and interact with their environment. While not a recent publication, its content remains highly relevant and is often cited.
Offers a modern approach to robotics, integrating mechanics, planning, and control. It includes a dedicated section on motion planning, making it highly relevant to the topic. It is known for its clear explanations and is often used as a textbook in university robotics courses. It provides a solid understanding of the fundamental principles underlying robot motion.
Provides a comprehensive overview of motion planning for humanoid robots, covering topics such as kinematics, dynamics, and control. It is written by leading experts in the field and is suitable for both students and researchers.
While not solely focused on motion planning, this book cornerstone in the field of mobile robotics and covers probabilistic techniques highly relevant to motion planning under uncertainty. It is considered a must-read for anyone interested in autonomous systems and is frequently referenced in research. It provides essential background knowledge for understanding modern motion planning approaches.
This comprehensive textbook covers modeling, planning, and control of robot manipulators. It includes significant material on motion planning, making it a valuable resource for those focusing on robot arms. It is often used in graduate-level robotics courses and provides a strong theoretical treatment of the subject.
This book, published in 2023, delves into contemporary topics in motion planning for autonomous vehicles, specifically addressing interaction and uncertainty using Model Predictive Control. It's highly relevant for those interested in advanced and current research in autonomous driving motion planning.
Provides a comprehensive overview of autonomous mobile robots, covering topics such as sensing, control, decision-making, and applications. It covers motion planning in detail and is suitable for both students and researchers.
Considered a pioneering work in the field, this book provides a deep dive into the early algorithms and theoretical underpinnings of robot motion planning. While the algorithms discussed may not be the most current, the fundamental concepts and problem formulations remain highly relevant. It's a classic reference for researchers and those interested in the history of the field.
Provides a comprehensive overview of motion planning for underwater vehicles, covering topics such as kinematics, dynamics, and control. It is written by leading experts in the field and is suitable for both students and researchers.
Provides a broad introduction to the field of autonomous mobile robots, including essential topics like localization, mapping, and navigation, all of which are closely related to motion planning. It's a good resource for gaining a general understanding of how motion planning fits into the larger context of mobile robotics. The latest edition includes updated content.
Provides a comprehensive overview of reinforcement learning, covering topics such as Markov decision processes, value functions, and policy optimization. It covers motion planning in detail and is suitable for both students and researchers.
Specifically addresses the challenging problem of motion planning in environments where obstacles are moving. It delves into algorithms and computational costs associated with dynamic environments. While not a recent publication, it remains a relevant resource for understanding the complexities of planning in non-static settings.
Covers robot modeling and control, including aspects of path planning and trajectory generation. It's a solid resource for understanding the control aspects related to executing planned motions. It's often used as a textbook in robotics programs.
This book, published in 2022, covers various aspects of motion planning. As a more recent publication, it is likely to include discussions on contemporary techniques and applications. It can serve as a valuable reference for understanding recent advancements in the field.
Offers a practical approach to robotics with a focus on algorithms and implementations in MATLAB. It includes relevant content on robot control and navigation, which ties into motion planning. It's a useful resource for those who want to see how theoretical concepts are applied in practice. While not exclusively about motion planning, it provides valuable context and tools.
This recent book (published in late 2023) focuses on motion and path planning specifically in the context of additive manufacturing (3D printing). It provides a practical application of motion planning principles to a specific domain. It's highly relevant for those interested in this particular application area and covers contemporary topics in that space.
While this book primarily focuses on robotic manipulation, it provides a strong mathematical foundation essential for understanding the kinematics and dynamics involved in motion planning for robot arms. It classic text in the field of robotic manipulation and serves as valuable background reading.
Provides an overview of algorithmic approaches to motion planning, focusing on theoretical and practical aspects. Originally published in 1988, it's a foundational text that explores the mathematical and geometric algorithms used in motion planning. While dated, it offers insights into the early development of the field.
Focuses on programming robotics applications using ROS, including the use of the MoveIt motion planning library and navigation stacks. It's a hands-on guide for implementing motion planning algorithms in a practical robotics framework. It's suitable for those with some basic ROS knowledge.
This third volume in the ROS reference series includes recent work related to navigation, motion planning, and control within the ROS ecosystem. It provides updated information on the latest developments and packages available for motion planning in ROS. It's a valuable resource for staying current with ROS-based motion planning.
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