Datasheet

Tactile Navigation with Whiskers • Chapter 5
Robotics with the BOE Shield-Bot • 147
Chapter 5. Tactile Navigation with
Whiskers
Tactile switches are also called bumper switches or touch switches, and they have many uses
in robotics. A robot programmed to pick up an object and move it to another conveyer belt
might rely on a tactile switch to detect the object. Automated factory lines might use tactile
switches to count objects, and to align parts for a certain step in a manufacturing process. In
each case, switches provide inputs that trigger some form of programmed output. The
inputs are electronically monitored by the equipment’s processor, which takes different
actions depending on if the switch is pressed or not pressed.
In this chapter, you will build tactile switches, called whiskers, onto your BOE Shield-Bot and
test them. You will then program the BOE Shield-Bot to monitor the states of these switches,
and to decide what to do when it encounters an obstacle. The end result will be autonomous
navigation by touch.
Tactile Navigation
Whisker switches give the BOE Shield-Bot the ability to sense its surroundings through
touch as it roams around, much like a cat’s whiskers. The activities in this chapter use the
whiskers by themselves, but they can also be combined with other sensors you will learn
about in later chapters.