updated on 20-04-2009
Sense of Hearing

Some senses for Rino

Sense of Touch

The bumpers are intended to detect very close obstacles, when each other sensor fails because the objects are out of sight or because the shape or the material makes that object “stealth”. They are based on fork shaped photointerrupters very similar to this one. When the lower part of the bumper touches the object, the upper part rises up allowing the infrared light beam to reach the phototransistor and closing the circuit. It needs just a little touch to rise the barrier up enough to make circuit closed; after that the bumper can still move back some other centimeters allowing the robot to decrease speed to zero smoothly without blocking the motors.

The bumpers installed on the front side of the robot to detect small or low objects not visible to the other sensors.

fork shaped photointerrupter that detects the movement of the bumper.