Spanish 
An infrared obstacle detector is a device that detects the presence of an object through the reflection it produces in light. The use of infrared (IR) light is simply so that it is not visible to humans.
These types of sensors operate at short distances, typically 5 to 20mm. Furthermore, the amount of infrared light received depends on the color, material, shape and position of the obstacle, so they do not have sufficient precision to provide an estimate of the distance to the obstacle.
Despite this limitation, they are widely used for the detection of obstacles in small vehicles or robots. Their low cost makes it frequent to locate them on the perimeter, so that they detect obstacles in various directions.
These types of sensors operate at short distances, typically 5 to 20mm. Furthermore, the amount of infrared light received depends on the color, material, shape and position of the obstacle, so they do not have sufficient precision to provide an estimate of the distance to the obstacle.
Despite this limitation, they are widely used for the detection of obstacles in small vehicles or robots. Their low cost makes it frequent to locate them on the perimeter, so that they detect obstacles in various directions.
