Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!samsung!uakari.primate.wisc.edu!sdd.hp.com!usc!ucsd!rutgers!rochester!pt.cs.cmu.edu!o.gp.cs.cmu.edu!netnews.srv.cs.cmu.edu!gerry From: gerry@frc2.frc.ri.cmu.edu (Gerry Roston) Newsgroups: comp.robotics Subject: Re: ideas for inclination sensors Message-ID: Date: 18 Oct 90 15:37:35 GMT References: <3717@media-lab.MEDIA.MIT.EDU> <10134@ubc-cs.UUCP> Sender: netnews@cs.cmu.edu (USENET News Group Software) Reply-To: gerry@frc2.frc.ri.cmu.edu (Gerry Roston) Organization: Field Robotics Center, CMU Lines: 24 In-Reply-To: mgobbi@cs.ubc.ca's message of 18 Oct 90 02:05:19 GMT The answer to the orignal query depends on the following: whether or or not there is a deadline to meet and whether or not there is some level of robustness/accuracy required. If the answer to both questions is no, then the idead previously suggested will be fine, and you may learn something from your failures. However, if this is a "real" robot, you can not afford the engineering time required to set up such a device. Furthermore, the acuracy and usability will be questionable. If your need for angle sensing is low bandwidth, say < 1 Hz, a standard clinometer from Sperry or Schavitz is probably the answer. If you need high precision/high bandwidth, the answer would be a IRS (Inertial Reference System). Several companies produce these, but they are outrageously expensive. Gerry (the person who is developing the dead-reckoning for the CMU Ambler) -- gerry roston, field robotics center robotics institute, carnegie mellon university pittsburgh, pennsylvania, 15213 (412) 268-6557 gerry@cs.cmu.edu