RRT* for Manipulators

Today I tested RRT* (Rapidly-exploring Random Tree Star) on my DIY 5-DOF robot manipulator using joint-space path planning. First I visualize RRT* in a toy 2D problem, where you can literally see the tree growing, rewiring, and improving the path over time. Then I move to my C++ implementation for my robot arm and execute the planned trajectory on real hardware. And yes… it crashed Because in this version, I did NOT include full collision checking yet — so this video also shows the real engineering reality: planning without collision checking is risky. ✅ Next video (Part 2): I’ll implement proper collision checking in joint space: link vs obstacle collision self collision edge validation between nodes and re-test the robot so it DOESN’T crash. If you want the code/repo or want me to cover smoothing + time parametrization next, comment below. 📌 Subscribe for more DIY Robotics + Motion Planning content. Music: bensound.com License code: OFHPQOK3JVGWDYWX Artist:: Vital Music: https://www.bensound.com License code: XBGH1MHA9OBMATDF Artist:: Marcus P.