UNSY 605 Unmanned Systems Sensing, Perception, and Processing

Research Blog: Making sense of “Sensors” Types of Sensors in Robots and UAS “The basic function of a sensor is to measure some feature of the world, such as light, sound, or pressure and convert that measurement into an electrical signal, usually a voltage or a current,” (Arora et al., 2017). The classification of sensors can be broken down into two basic categories known as Exteroceptive and Proprioceptive sensors. Ultrasonics - emits a pulse then receives it and measures the timing between in order to extrapolate a distance LiDAR- Light detection and ranging Radar - Radio frequency Electro - Optical for Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance Exteroceptor sensors measure the positional or force-type interaction of the robot with its external environment. Proprioceptor measures kinematic and dynamic parameters of a robot’s internal system. “The basic type of sensors can be broken down into: Light, Heat, Touch, Ultra-sonic rangers, Gyroscopes,” (Arora et