From A-Star to Markov Decision Processes: Policy over Perfection
When look at a map to see how to get from point A to point B, we generally draw a line in our mind between the two points. Very rarely do we look at contingencies for each section of a map should we end up there, but that is precisely what we should do, at least to some extent, to ensure that our robots always have a path, even when they are thrown curve balls by the environment.