Dancer Board

Dancer Board is a low-cost, infrared-based, beacon-and-sensor system that allows a robot to sense the distance between itself and a nearby robot, as well as the nearby robot’s relative bearing. It is used in Teaching a Robot How to Dance.

When operated as an omnidirectional beacon, Dancer Board turns on its four infrared (IR) emitters—aimed to the left, to the right, forward, and backward—to transmit a signal in all directions.

When operated as a sensor, Dancer Board “listens” on four IR receivers, also aimed to the left, to the right, forward, and backward. Each receiver is most sensitive to IR that arrives head on (on axis); it has less sensitivity to IR light that arrives at an angle (off axis). Therefore, based on the strengths of the four received signals, one Dancer Board can determine its orientation to and distance from another board operating as a beacon.

The first version of Dancer Board, otherwise known as the IR Sensor/Beacon printed circuit board (PCB), is 4" x 4". Click on any of the thumbnail images to see close-up views, and contact us to learn more.