To do capable and useful things, your robot needs capable and useful sensors, which is just another way of saying that your robot needs you to spend a lot of money on it. This is really too bad, because hardware cost is enormously restrictive for robots, especially ones that are intended to be affordable by people who haven’t co-founded a robotics startup or something (I think there are a few people left who have yet to do this). In particular, distance sensors that allow your robot to detect and avoid obstacles tend to be both very useful and very expensive, but if you want one that works reliably outdoors, start saving, because they cost thousands of dollars.
At MIT, a group of researchers led by Professor Li-Shiuan Peh designed a phone-based laser rangefinder that costs a total of $49, plus a smartphone that you’re not using anymore. Is it the greatest laser rangefinder ever? Not even close. But for less than $50, it’s pretty darn great anyway.
If you want a low-cost, several meter-range distance sensor for your robot, you have two (soon perhaps three) options right now: a Kinect or a Revo LDS (which is what you get if you rip open a Neato robotic vacuum and pry out its revolving laser distance sensor). Both of these systems are cheap(ish) and work pretty well indoors, but out in the sunlight, they tend to go blind very quickly. The fundamental problem is that these sensors both use active lighting (structured light or a laser), and their sensors can’t distinguish the light that they’re looking for from ambient light if it’s too bright out.
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