Parallel collision check for sensor based real-time motion planning

In this paper we present a real-time collision check algorithm based on the parallel computation capabilities of recent graphics card's GPUs. We show an effective application of the proposed algorithm to solve the task-constrained real-time motion planning problem for a redundant manipulator. We propose a proof-of-concept motion planner based on fast collision check of predicted robot motion over a given planning horizon. Obstacles are avoided exploiting the redundancy of the robot. Reactive velocities are computed for some control points placed on the robot and projected in the null space of the task Jacobian. The approach is validated through simulations in V-Rep environments and experiments on the KUKA LWR-IV 7-DoF manipulator.