As far as autonomous navigation I've seen allot of posts on encoders, gyro's, accelerometers, Banner sensors but, nothing on Sharp IR distance sensors. Today I've been playing with a Sharp GP2Y0A02YK 5' max distance sensor mounted on a Vex servo with a square bot and encoders. Using only Easy C 1.1 I've got the square bot driving straight, random drive with object avoidance, Wall hugging with just the IR and several other autonomous strategies. The Sharp IR sensors put out a analog voltage proportional to distance. A simple and quick ADC gives an accurate distance measurement with a very narrow field of focus. Mounting the IR sensor on a servo allows a scan and mapping of the area in front of the robot. Have any other teams tried these sensors? I haven't seen any at competitions or remember any posts.
So here's a link to a site that sells them
http://www.hobbyengineering.com/SectionS.html
Any comments on their application on FRC robots?