Materials

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Prerequisites

Student knowledge: High school Biology and Algebra 2 or equivalent.

Investigating / Essential Questions

What limitations do human-made sensors have compared to the ability of echolocating animals?

Educational Standards

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Educational Standards

Learning Objectives

1. Students will understand the factors that determine the strength of an echo.
2. Students will identify the limitations of sonar sensors used in robots.
3. Students will learn how two sonar sensors can be used to avoid obstacles.
4. Students will build and analyze the functionality of a sonar cane.
5. Students will learn about how echolocation in animals works.
6. Students will learn about the limits and advantages of echolocation in animals.

Introduction

In this lesson, students explore echolocation. They will learn about the differences between our human-made devices and the abilities of echolocating animals. Students will also explore how two sonar sensors can be used to avoid obstacles and build and analyze a sonar cane for a blind person.

Sonar sensors provide a relatively cheap and reliable way of detecting obstacles. Therefore, they are often used in cars (for example, parking sensors), robots, and drones. Sonar sensors are also used as occupancy detectors. These sensors (typically mounted in the ceiling or above a light switch) detect movement in a room and switch on the lights. Maxbotix is a manufacturer of sonar sensors. They provide a web page that lists the many applications of their sensors.