Worksheet: Obstacle Detection

Introduction to Mobile Robotics > Obstacle Detection

This worksheet is provided for reference only. Be sure that you follow the steps in the online directions, and answer the questions at the appropriate times. Fill out all your answers on a separate sheet of paper.

Construct: Touch Sensor

1. What did the robot do? The robot stopped when it hit something with the touch sensor. 2. What caused the robot to stop? Hitting an object. 3. Do you think its a good idea for the robot to run into obstacles and stop? No it could damage the robot if it going fast. Its okay when its going slow. 4. What are the benefits and drawbacks of this behaviour? It could keep the robot from running for a while and not going anywhere.

5. What did the robot do? The robot stopped when it hit something with the touch sensor. 6. What caused the robot to stop? Hitting an object. 7. How far away from the obstacle did the robot stop? Approximately 10 cm 8. What are the benefits and drawbacks of this behaviour? It could stop it from running into the wall at high speed. 9. How reliable is this sensor as opposed to the touch sensor? It is quite reliable because it would stop when it hit an object and it can sense the walls around it.

Contemplate

10. Think about the Construct Phase that you just completed and compare using the touch and ultrasonic sensors. i. What is the main difference between the two programs? In the wait block you change it from TouchSensor to UltraSonic and change the units to cm and change it to 10 cm. What is the main difference in the robots behaviour when you use each of the different sensors? The differences are that the TouchSensor stops when it hits the object and the UltraSonic stops before it hits the object.

ii.

11. The ultrasonic sensor allows you to stop before you reach an object, rather than after youve run into it. What are the benefits and drawbacks of this behaviour? So it doesnt damage the robot when going at high speed. 12. The touch sensor only has two settings, pressed and not pressed. The ultrasonic sensor, on the other hand, can sense any distance between 0 and 200 centimetres. i. Why do you need to set a threshold level for the ultrasonic sensor, but not for the touch sensor? The TouchSensor is just a button not an actual sensor. What happens to the robots behaviour as you change that threshold level for the ultrasonic sensor? It might have to run into something very hard or brush against something to stop.

ii.

Continue: Detecting Everyday Objects

Observations:

13. What does the sensor show when it has difficulty detecting anything? It wont stop. 14. Does the shape or curvature of an object make a difference? If its round it might be able to see the shadow of it but if it square it might stop when it runs into it. 15. Does the sensor detect soft or hard objects better? Why do you think this is? It would detect both but it would detect harder objects better because it is made of harder things.

16. What is the smallest object detected? It has to be at the same height at the sensor otherwise the robot wont detect it. 17. Does the sensor detect thin objects well? Yes because the object is still an object in the way of the robot. 18. Turn the sensor 90 degrees on its side so it is positioned upright. Does it detect thin objects better now? No because the robot wouldnt see it as well.