Capability:Ultrasonic Sensing
| Ultrasonic Sensing | |
|---|---|
| Type | Sensing |
| Measures/Controls | Distance to objects (typically 2cm to 400cm) |
| Common Hardware | HC-SR04, JSN-SR04T (waterproof), Maxbotix sensors |
| Enables Activities | Activity:Maze Solving, obstacle avoidance, distance measurement |
| Status | Stub - Not yet implemented in BRS robots |
Ultrasonic Sensing is a sensing capability that measures distance using sound waves beyond human hearing range.
Overview
This is a stub page. This capability is not yet implemented in any BRS robot. This page exists to:
- Document the concept for future implementation
- Invite community members to add it to their robots
- Provide a starting point for hardware selection
What It Measures
Distance to objects (typically 2cm to 400cm)
Common Hardware
HC-SR04, JSN-SR04T (waterproof), Maxbotix sensors
Enables Activities
Adding this capability to your robot would enable:
Technical Considerations
- **Advantages**: Long range, low cost, works on most surfaces
- **Disadvantages**: Slow update rate, wide beam (poor angular resolution), interference from soft/angled surfaces
- **Typical cost**: $1-5 per sensor
- **Interface**: Trigger pulse + echo timing
- **Accuracy**: ±3mm at close range, ±1cm at long range
- **Update rate**: ~20 Hz maximum (due to sound travel time)
- **Beam angle**: ~15-30° cone
Contributing
Want to add this capability to your robot? Here's how:
- Select appropriate hardware (see "Common Hardware" above)
- Mount the hardware to your robot chassis
- Wire to your microcontroller
- Write driver code or use existing libraries
- Test and calibrate
- Document your implementation
- Update this page with your findings
- Share on Discord
See Also
- Capabilities - All capabilities
- Activities - What this capability enables
- Robotics Ontology - How capabilities fit into BRS knowledge structure