What does sensor range refer to in a robot sensor?

• A. The distance or field of view within which the sensor can accurately detect or measure.
• B. The sensor's color output.
• C. The power consumption of the sensor.
• D. The physical size of the sensor.

Answer: (A)

Sensor range describes how far and how wide a sensor can reliably detect or measure something. It defines the usable distance from the sensor to a target and the angular span over which readings remain accurate. In practice, different sensors have different ranges and fields of view: an ultrasonic sensor might reliably detect obstacles from just a few centimeters up to several meters within a cone, while a camera’s effective range depends on lighting and resolution, and a LIDAR unit can cover longer distances often with a specific field of view. Knowing the range helps you design where to place sensors and how the robot should react at different distances.

The other properties—color output, power consumption, and physical size—do not describe how far or wide the sensor can sense. Color output relates to the data the sensor provides, power consumption to energy use, and size to physical form, not the sensing extent.