Method and apparatus to plan motion path of robot

A method of planning a path of a robot, the method comprising:

• forming a configuration space to generate a motion path of a manipulator of the robot using a processor;
• recognizing an obstacle as an intermediate point and selecting a waypoint having a smallest goal score from a plurality of waypoints located at predetermined distances from the intermediate point, when there is an obstacle between a start point and a goal point of the configuration space, using the processor;
• dividing a section from the start point to the goal point into a plurality of sections based on the selected waypoint, using the processor;
• determining whether a solution of inverse kinematics of the selected waypoint is present, using the processor;
• simultaneously expanding trees with respect to sections each having a waypoint with a solution of inverse kinematics, and expanding a tree, after the expansion of the trees is finished in the sections each having the waypoint with the solution of inverse kinematics, with respect to a section having a waypoint without a solution of inverse kinematics, to generate a search graph, using the processor;
• and
• connecting the start point and the goal point using the search graph to generate an optimal path to avoid the obstacle, using the processor.