| A Proximity Sensor Network (PSN) consisting of four Infra-Red (IR) sensors was developed in order to track, grasp or manipulate objects with robots. The work is motivated by the need for local high bandwidth sensors at the robot's end effector to provide feedback during the pre-contact stage. Two types of amplitude based IR sensors were designed, an "Electrically Biased Sensor" (EBS) and a "Photon Biased Sensor" (PBS). The PBS sensor has a diameter of 5.55 mm and a range of approximately 9.0 cm. The EBS sensor has a diameter of 7.15 mm and a range of approximately 11.2 cm. Both sensors are robust and inexpensive since they were constructed using low-cost, off the shelf components. The design of the sensor heads, the signal processing electronics and the sensor characteristics will be discussed. |
