This paper summarizes our recent development of algorithms that construct feasible trajectories for problems that involve both differential constraints (typically in the form of an underactuated nonlinear system), and global constraints (typically arising from robot collisions). Dynamic programming approaches are described that produce approximately-optimal solutions for low-dimensional problem...

Randomized, sampling-based planning has a long history of success, and although the benefits associated with this use of randomization are widely-recognized, its costs are not well-understood. We examine a variety of problem instances solved with the Rapidly-exploring Random Tree algorithm, demonstrating that heavy-tailed runtime distributions are both common and potentially exploitable. We sho...

This paper presents an interactive motion planning system to compute free collision motion in a numerical model. The system is based on interaction between a user and a motion planning algorithm. On one hand the user moves the object with an interactive device and on the other hand a motion planning algorithm searches a solution in the configuration space. The interaction aims at improving the ...

This document presents a demo storyboard for an accepted paper in the ICAPS 2011. The paper presents a method that builds a topological environment based on the workspace to compute homotopy classes, which topologically describe how paths go through the obstacles in the workspace. Then, the homotopy classes are sorted according to an heuristic estimation of their lower bound. Only those with sm...