sensors

A robot is only as good as what it can measure. Explore the full sensor toolkit — encoders, IMUs, ultrasonic rangefinders, LiDAR, cameras, and force/torque sensors — and learn the four metrics that determine whether a sensor is fit for purpose: resolution, range, noise, and sampling rate.

Strip any robot to its bones and you find three things: sensors that gather data, a controller that thinks, and actuators that move. Learn how these pieces fit together through the Sense-Plan-Act paradigm, why reactive control sometimes beats planning, and what makes a Roomba and a welding arm both qualify as robots.