Measuring Distances with an ultrasonic sensor using Arduino

Abstract
Measuring distances automatically and continuously comes in handy in many situations. Think
of a robot that autonomously tries to find its way or of an automatic burglar alarm that rings a
bell, this is possible with Arduino. Many different types of sensors for measuring distances are
available, and the Arduino plays well with most of them. Some sensors use ultrasound, while
others use infrared light or even laser.
In this project, we will build a device that measures the distance to the nearest object and
outputs it on the serial port. For this project, we use the Parallax PING))) ultrasonic sensor,2
because its easy to use, comes with excellent documentation, and has a nice feature set. It can
detect objects in a range between 2 centimeters and 3 meters, and we use it directly with a
breadboard, so we do not have to solder. Its also a perfect example of a sensor that provides
information via variable-width pulses.