Robotics and the fundamental group

  • John F. Oprea

    Cleveland State University, USA
Robotics and the fundamental group cover
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Abstract

The topological qualities of many configuration spaces for mechanical systems depend solely on the fundamental group of the space. When this is the case, the topological complexity of the configuration space may, in principle, be determined by properties of the group alone. In this survey, we will explore a recent approach to topological complexity for non-simply connected spaces that makes essential use of the structure of the fundamental group of the space.