User:Gaoxx304/sandbox

In computer science, anytime A*, also known as anytime repairing A* (ARA*), is a variation of the A* search algorithm. ARA*, like other anytime algorithms, is an algorithm that can return a valid solution to a pathfinding or graph traversal problem even if it is interrupted before it ends.

Motivation
Many times, waiting for A*'s optimal solution is not feasible. One can sacrifice A*'s optimality in order to gain a quicker execution time by inflating the heuristic. We could achieve a naive anytime algorithm by simply reducing the degree to which we "inflate" the heuristic. However, this would lead to a lot of redundant work. ARA* provides a mechanism for an efficient anytime heuristic search that reuses search efforts from previous executions.

Difference
A* algorithm is one of the most powerful algorithm to solve a lot of problems. However, its computation cost may not good enough for some applications.