External sensors on a robot report on
the current state of the world that includes environmental factors
such as light, location of an object, distance to an object, reflectivity
of an object, and texture of an object. External sensors are to
robots as the five senses are to humans; touch, taste, sight,
smell, and hearing. This module contains hands-on content learning
activities for teachers and students alike. Once users have completed
the activities, they will have the basic knowledge needed to inquire
about possible modifications to the technology and how the technology
can be used in scientific research.
Botball robot sensors are broken up into two categories: analog
and digital. Like human eyes, analog sensors can
sense various levels of light or differences in color. Analog
sensors can distinguish between objects based on how much
light they reflect. Analog sensor readings range from 0 (closed
connection) to 255 (open connection). Digital sensor readings
range from 0 (closed connection) to 1 (open connection). In other
words, the light is either on or off.
The following activities will explain the basics of analog and digital sensors that work with the HandyBoard computer. Several activities will have short sample code examples that can be typed directly into the Interactive C software editor.
ANALOG SENSOR ACTIVITIES
Photodiode
Sensor
Infrared
Reflectance Sensor
Range
Finding Sensor
DIGITAL SENSOR ACTIVITIES
Touch Sensors
Encoding
Sensors
