Motion planning is an essential part of the research process of intelligent sorting robots for coal gangue, but there are still some problems to be solved. Firstly, the current status of coal gangue sorting was introduced. Secondly, the key technologies for motion planning of intelligent sorting robots for coal gangue were analyzed, including how to track dynamic coal gangue, how to plan trajectories to reduce impact, and how to avoid obstacles. Finally, the research directions for the future motion planning of intelligent sorting robots for coal gangue are identified, including research on sorting strategies based on trajectory optimization, research on the end grasping posture of the picking robotic arm, and research on trajectory planning for multi robotic arm picking in collaborative space.