[Josh Siegel]

Thanks for the advice, guys... Sonar range wont quite cut it - I'm looking for at a minimum 5m, 10+ would be ideal... Plus, I dont know how I'd interface the sonar to my laptop without an intermediate board. I may just end up getting eight more IR sensors and making a ring of 16, giving 22.5 degrees FOV each with the same range as sonar for about half the cost.
I'm still looking for other options, but nothing that promising has shown up yet. Anyone successfully hack a single object/direction laser ranger? I could forsee hacking it and making it spin, but the refresh rate would be pretty slow.

edit: the gearing down the servo motor is a good idea, I just need to find a (cheap) box with the right reduction.