We want to use distance sensors on our robot. anyone used them before and have any recommendations?
We have been using the HC-SR04 ultrasonic sensors for about the last year. They are small, have a reasonably large range, and most of all, they are very cheap (less than 5 dollars per sensor). The front of the sensors can sometimes be a little sensitive, but having good mounting that doesn’t expose the front to any pressure usually fixes that.
For distances of a foot or less, I’ve had success with various Sharp (yes, the copier company) infrared sensors from robotshop, pololu, sparkfun, and other vendors. At longer ranges, I’ve preferred ultrasonic sensors such as the parallax ping. In any case, figure out what ranges you need (both min and max) before you start ordering.