  Described here is a simple, reliable, and quite general method for rapid
computation of robot arm inverse kinematic solutions and motion path plans in
the presence of complex obstructions. The method derived from the MSC
(map-seeking circuit) algorithm, optimized to exploit the characteristics of
practical arm configurations. The representation naturally incorporates both
arm and obstacle geometries. The consequent performance on modern hardware is
suitable for applications requiring real-time response, including smooth
continuous avoidance of dynamic obstacles which impinge on the planned path
during the traversal of the arm. On high-end GPGPU hardware computation of both
final pose for an 8 DOF arm and a smooth obstacle-avoiding motion path to that
pose takes approximately 200-300msec depending on the number of waypoints
implemented. The mathematics of the method is accessible to high school
seniors, making it suitable for broad instruction. [Note: This revision
includes a general compute strategy for paths from arbitrary pose to arbitrary
pose and a compute strategy for continuous motion mid-course avoidance of
dynamic obstacles.]
