Abstract: This paper presents a path planning method based on chaotic optimization algorithm for robot,which is named chaotic artificial potential field method (CAPFM).The algorithm can generate an optimal local path for obstacle avoidance more efficiently in real time in the dynamic environments,prevent local optimum,and overcome the problem that there is no passage between closely spaced obstacles caused by directly applying the conventional artificial potential field method.The simulation results demonstrate that the proposed method performs path planning very well,overcomes the drawbacks of the conventional artificial potential field methods,and has good practicality.