PIC or Basic Stamp IR Telemeter

Although the simplest robots may be content to simply detecting obstacles, many robots that require precision in their positioning need to be able to measure distances accurately. To achieve this, it is necessary to use a telemeter, which can be infrared or ultrasonic. IR is very suitable for measuring short distances (a few centimetres up to a few tens of centimetres), while ultrasound is more suitable for distances from a few tens of centimetres to several metres.

Although it is still possible to construct a telemeter using standard resources, these days it’s not really worthwhile because of the availability of ready-to-use integrated modules that are all relatively accurate, cheap, and compact. Taking a look at IR telemeters, the Sharp range is currently the largest and most readily available, insofar as we wish to stick with products at prices compatible with an ‘amateur’ robot.