Robot Sensors

An Overview
Robot Sensors
Why do Robots Need Sensors?
What can be Sensed?
What Sensors are Out There?
What can They do?
How Much do They Cost?
How Easy are They to Use?
Why Do Robots Need Sensors?
Provides awareness of surroundings
Whats ahead, around, out there?
Allows interaction with environment
Robot lawn mower can see cut grass
Protection & Self-Preservation
Safety, Damage Prevention, Stairwell sensor
Gives the robot capability to goal-seek
Find colorful objects, seek goals
Makes robots interesting
Sensors - What Can Be Sensed?
Light
Presence, color, intensity, content (mod), direction
Sound
Presence, frequency, intensity, content (mod), direction
Heat
Temperature, wavelength, magnitude, direction
Chemicals
Presence, concentration, identity, etc.
Object Proximity
Presence/absence, distance, bearing, color, etc.
Physical orientation/attitude/position
Magnitude, pitch, roll, yaw, coordinates, etc.

Sensors - What Can Be Sensed?
Magnetic & Electric Fields
Presence, magnitude, orientation, content (mod)
Resistance (electrical, indirectly via V/I)
Presence, magnitude, etc.
Capacitance (via excitation/oscillation)
Presence, magnitude, etc.
Inductance (via excitation/oscillation)
Presence, magnitude, etc.
Other Things?

What Sensors Are Out There?
Feelers (Whiskers, Bumpers) Mechanical
Photoelectric (Visible) Active & Passive
Infrared (light) Active & Passive
Ultrasonic (sound) Active & Passive
Sonic Active & Passive
Resistive/Capacitive/Inductive Active &
Passive
What Sensors Are Out There?
Visual Cameras & Arrays (Active & Passive)
Color Sensors (Active & Passive)
Magnetic (Active & Passive)
Orientation (Pitch & Roll)
GPS (location, altitude)
Compass (orientation, bearing)
Voltage Electric Field Sensors
Current Magnetic Field Sensors
Chemical Smoke Detectors, Gas Sensors
A Closer Look
Sensors Feelers
Whiskers
Piano wire suspended through conductive hoop
Deflection causes contact with hoop
Springy wire that touches studs when deflected
Reaches beyond robot a few inches
Simple, cheap, binary output

Bumpers & Guards
Impact/Collision sensor, senses pressure/contact
Microswitches & wires or framework that moves
Simple, cheap, binary output, easy to read
Feelers - Whiskers
Feelers - Bumpers & Guards
From Kevin Rosss Getting Started Article (SRS Website)
Sensors IR
Active (emitting)
Oscillator generates IR reflections off objects
Filtered receiver looks for reflections
Pulses may be encoded for better discrimination
Typically frequencies around 40KHz
Doesnt work well with dark, flat colored objects

Passive (sensor only)
Pyro-electric (heat sensor)
Look for IR emissions from people & animals
Used in security systems & motion detectors
Infrared - Active
$30 from Lynxmotion
July 99 Encoder
Active IR Sensor Specs
Sensor type = Reflective IR
IR detector = Panasonic PNA4602M
IR LED type = Narrow focus 10
I/O required = 3 digital lines: 2 outputs, 1 input
Range = Approximately 4 to 26"
Input voltage = 5vdc regulated @ 8mA
PC board size = 2.3" x .75"
Linear Array IR Range Sensors
Sharp GP2Dxx (one of many)
~4 to 30cm Range
Fixed Range with Discrete Output
Analog or Digital Output
Easy to Use

Laser Range Sensors
USB Interface
240 Field of View
0.36 Angular Resolution
10Hz Refresh Rate
20mm to 4m
$2695 (cool but pricey)
Also See:
Oct 2001 Encoder
Kenneth Maxon
Passive IR Pyro-Electric
$66 from Acroname
Dec 2000, Sept 2001 Encoder
The Model 442-3 IR-EYE is a Lithium Tantalate pyroelectric parallel opposed
dual-element high-gain detector with complete integral analog signal processing.
Sensors Ultrasonic
Active
Emit pulses & listen for echos
Times round trip sound travel (~1ft/mS)
Reaches far fairly beyond robot (inches to 30-50)
Relatively simple, not cheap, analog output
Directional; not everything reflects sound well

Passive (listens only)
Sensor listens for ultrasonic sounds
Electronics may translate frequency or modulation
Software may perform signal analysis (FFTs, etc.)
Ultrasonic - Active
$27
$134
$49
Visit http://www.acroname.com for more information about these & other products.
Search the web for polaroid ultrasonic sensor
Sensors Ultrasonic (cont.)
Passive - Beacons & Sensors
Beacons listen: RF command to broadcast
Send light & sound pulses
Robot looks & listens for each beacon
Light pulse starts timer, sound pulse stops it
Robot knows location of each beacon
Compass on robot provides its orientation
Robot computes distance, measures bearing
Robot can then compute its location

(Speed of Light=1 ft/nS, Speed of Sound=1ft/mS)

Ultrasonic - Passive
Beacon1
Beacon2
Sound Pulse
Sound Pulse
Robot
Light Pulse BEACON
RF Receiver
IR Emitter
Ultrasonic Emitter
Beacon3
Light Pulse
Sound Pulse
ROBOT
RF Transmitter
IR Receiver
Ultrasonic Receiver
Light Pulse
Sensors Sonic (Acoustic)
Active
Emit pulses & listen for echos
Times round trip sound travel (~1ft/mS)
Reaches far fairly beyond robot (30-50 ft)
Relatively simple, not cheap, analog output
Directional, not everything reflects sound
Noisy!!!!

Passive (sensor only)
Sensor listens to ambient sounds
Filters or scans selected frequencies
ADC measures conditioned signal amplitude
CPU performs signal analysis on what it hears

Sonic (Acoustic) - Passive
TI (Burr-Brown) UAF42 Universal Active Filter
http://focus.ti.com/lit/an/sbfa002/sbfa002.pdf
Sensors Resistance

Passive (sensor only)
Measures elec. resistance between objects
Measure sensor that varies resistance
Use absolute or differential readings
Other ideas?

Sensors Capacitive
Passive
Really doesnt work (Needs excitation)

Active (emitting)
Generate AC or DC voltage
Apply to external environment
Measure current to determine Resistance
Short range applications

Sensors - Capacitive
Sensors - Capacitive
Emit an electric field below the sensor.
Nulled to a known void wall area.
Detect capacitance difference due to underlying
material density.
Sensors Inductive
Passive
Really doesnt work (Needs excitation)

Active (emitting)
Current flows through inductor
Magnetic field mostly ignores non-metals
Inductance changes with metallic proximity
Short range applications
Sensors - Inductive
Passive
Really doesnt work (Needs
excitation)

Active (emitting)
Metals affect sensor
Current flows through inductor
Magnetic field mostly ignores non-
metals
Inductance changes with metallic
proximity
Short range applications (~cm or mm)
Sensors Visual
Active (emitting)
Camera with field of view illumination
Looks for particular reflections
Filter removes non-significant light sources
Linear array senses single axis of motion

Passive (camera only)
Scans field of interest
Looks for objects, artifacts, features of interest
Processes digital data to simplified interpretation
Sensors Visual
CMUCam
Linear Optical Array
Sensors Color
Active (emitting)
Selective field illumination (specific color(s))
Sensor filter removes extraneous light sources
Output can be analog (prop.) or digital (on/off)

Passive (sensors only)
Different sensors for different colors
Color filter removes extraneous light sources
Output can be analog (prop.) or digital (on/off)
Sensors Color
http://robotroom.com/ColorSensor.html
Sensors Magnetic
Active (emitting)
Metal detectors
Follows metallic strips on or under the floor
Magnetometer
Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)

Passive (sensors only)
Compass
Magnetic field sensor (oscillating current)
Sensors Magnetic
From HowStuffWorks.com & RadiologyInfo.org
Sensors Orientation
Rate Gyros
Output proportional to angular rotation speed
Integrate to get position
Differentiate to get acceleration

DC Accelerometer
Output proportional to sine of vertical angle

Sensors Motion
Rate Gyro Silicon Sensing Systems
Servo Accel Sensorland.com
Sensors Position/Location
Wheel Encoders
Relative position & motion
Integrate/Differentiate for other parameters

Global Positioning System
Absolute position/location on earth
Local differential error correction
Integrate/Differentiate for other parameters

Wheel Encoders
Nubotics.com, $27
Jun 98, Oct 2000 Encoder
Sensors Position/Location
Parallax.com
$80
Sensors Compass (Orientation)
Track bearing & distance to determine position
L: Parallax.com, $30
R: Dinsmoresensors.com, $13-$37
Sensors Voltage
Passive Senses electric field
Fluke Electric Field Sensors

$23
$24
$25
Sensors Current
Series measurement with Hall Effect device
Current loop (coil), then amplified
Magnetoresistive (Wheatstone bridge)

Sensors Current
Sensors Current
Sensors Chemical
Passive (sensors only)

Active (optical emitter/photo sensor)

Sensors Chemical
Smoke Detectors - Cheap, readily available, $5
Oxygen concentration sensors - CO, H
4
S, CH
4,
pricey
See HowStuffWorks.com
Sensors Conclusion
Sensors provide a way of simulating aliveness
Sensors give robots environmental awareness
Sensors provide of means of human protection
Sensors help robot preserve itself
Sensors enable goal seeking
Sensors enable closed-loop interaction
Sensors make robots interesting
Sensors can make programming challenging
Common Sensors in Robotics
Rotation sensors (also called
encoders) measure the rotation of a
shaft or axle. They are used to
measure the angle of a robotic arm, or
how far a mobile robots wheel has
turned.

Global Positioning Systems (GPS)
receive signals from orbiting
satellites that pinpoint the location
of an outdoor robot on the Earth.

Common Sensors in Robotics
Laser range finders use laser beams to
measure the distance to objects. They
are used for obstacle detection and
navigation.

Cameras are a very common
sensor. Computer Vision is the
field of study of interpreting camera
images for a variety of purposes.

Lego Sensors
We will be using 3 types of Lego sensors.
Touch sensor
Light sensor
Rotation sensor
Touch Sensor
force
voltage
measurement
electrical flow
a simple
switch
Touch Sensor
o Detect contact between the robot and external
objects like walls.
o Detect contact with internal moving parts in the
robot (arm or gripper).
o TableBot - detect contact with the ground so the
robot doesnt fall off the table.
o Input Device - push button or remote control.
Uses:
Light Sensor
Can differentiate light
levels reflected from
bright and dark
surfaces.
Measures the level of light as a
number between 0% (total darkness)
and 100% (very bright).
Light Sensor
Inside the light sensor
is a photo-transistor.

The photo-transistor acts
like a valve for electricity.
The more light energy it
senses, the more electricity
flows.

Ohms Law: V = I x R
voltage
measurement
light energy
electrical flow
voltage
measurement
light energy
low light
bright light
Light Sensor
o Navigation - follow a black line on a white
surface (or vice versa).
o FireflyBot - find a very bright object in a room or
area (light bulb).
o Color sorter - tell the difference between black
Lego bricks and yellow Lego bricks.
o Input Device - different colors or gray levels on a
piece of paper.

Uses:
Rotation Sensor
Measures the rotation of an axle
or shaft.

The rotation sensor sends out a
series of voltage pulses. There
are 16 of these pulses per one
revolution of the Lego rotation
sensor.

These pulses are also referred to
as ticks, clicks, or counts.
Rotation Sensor
o Navigation - measure the number of rotations of
a wheel. Calculate the distance traveled based
on the circumference.
o Internal - measure the angle of an arm or lever.
o Two rotation sensors (one on either side) can
give you accurate information about the robots
heading or the radius of the circle it is traversing
(differential odometry).
Uses:
Temperature Sensor
Thermistor (thermal resistor)
A fourth type of sensor that
Lego offers is a temperature
sensor.

It works just like the light
sensor, except the amount of
electrical flow varies with
temperature instead of light.