Smart Proximity Detector Movie

This weekend I plan to begin editing a movie on my Smart Proximity Detector. The detector is programmed to send range information from its left and right side sensors. The robot in the movie (a CheapBot-14 controller on a CheapBot body) is programmed to drive away from the nearest obstacle. It's fun to watch the robot steer away from the plastic wall I swing in front of it.

Smart Proxmity Detector

I'm soldering a smart proxmity detector PCB. It uses a PICAXE-08 and will communicate with the robot it is attached to. The idea is that its PICAXE flashes two IR LEDs in sequence and looks for a sign of a reflection from the 40 kHz IR detector. The result is sent to the robot controller as a serial message. The PICAXE can operate the IR LEDs at a range of frequencies, allowing the proximity detector to estimate distances to obstacles. Since there are two IR LEDs, the proximity detector determines whether the obstacle is on the left, right, or both sides.