"I know of at least one "seminal" robotics paper that was rejected from top venues multiple times for "simplicity" (lack of mathematics content) that went on to

"I know of at least one "seminal" robotics paper that was rejected from top venues multiple times for "simplicity" (lack of mathematics content) that went on to become a foundational paper in the field after appearing in a lower-tier venue years later." Curious. Which paper is this?