Design DecisionsThe shell was designed to to have an appealing look and to be strong enough to survive a fall. The Finch is easy to hold in 2 hands and use your thumbs to cover the light sensors to use them as buttons. It can balance on its tail or you can tape a pen to it. The cord wraps neatly around the narrow part. |
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Obstacle Detection. The Finch has two Infrared sensors. These sensors can detect obstacles in front of the Finch. The sensors are digital and so act as virtual bumpers - they do not provide information on the distance to an obstacle, but simply register whether an obstacle exists. The sensor detection range is between 3 and 12 inches. Due to the limitations of this type of sensor very narrow objects or objects made of certain black plastics may not register as obstacles. | ||||
The Accelerometer
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The hardware: The accelerometer can detect the direction of gravity, to know if the Finch is flat or tilted. It can also detect tapping or shaking the Finch. The software: Inside a loop the program can continuously monitor the Finch's position using if statements. |
Sensing Light & Temperature
Light is registered ---The thermistor is accurate courtesy of blabberize.com |
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