A*

How does one find the "best" path to move from one place to another, given a set of obstacles and possible risks, without considering all possible paths? Well, that question has been the subject of much research, and today it is solved. Well, really it has been solved for some time (since about 1950's); but I have had the (mis)fortune of performing the exercise of implementing the algorithm -- which is called "A*" or (A-star) -- for one of the courses I am assisting in (Artificial Intelligence). Though most of the process was painful, the end was nothing but rewarding in seeing that little green piece magically find its way to the little yellow piece. If you have MATLAB, feel free to download it and play around.