By double-checking that the hyperplane function contains squared values, a human can easily verify that the function is positive, which means the trajectory is collision-free, Amice explains.

While their approach is fast enough to be used as a final safety check in some real-world situations, it is still too slow to be implemented directly in a robot motion planning loop, where decisions need to be made in microseconds, Amice says.

“Salve, amice,” he said, and a subtle animation flickered in his rigid features, usually so locked up, and distant: “Valesne? Quid est rei?”

Amice, previous to the Reformation, was a household favourite, and Colet a perfect pet.

Same as Amice, a hood or cape.