RobotMotionPlanningandControl,Laboratoired'Analyeetd'ArchitecturedesSystemesCentreNationaldelaRechercheScientiqueLAASreport97438ForewordHowcanarobotdecidewhatmotionstoperforminordertoachievetasksinthephysicalworld?Theexistingindustrialrobotprogrammingsystemsstillhaveverylimitedmotionplanningcapabilities.Moreovertheeldofroboticsisgrowing:spaceexploration,underseawork,interventioninhazardousenvironments,servicingrobotics:::Motionplanningappearsasoneofthecomponentsforthenecessaryautonomyoftherobotsinsuchrealcontexts.Itisalsoafundamentalissueinrobotsimulationsoftwaretohelpworkcelldesignerstodeterminecollisionfreepathsforrobotsperformingspecictasks.