Want to make a cool project that uses one of those IR distance sensors that are found everywhere? Have a look at this Sweeping Radar System which has many uses.
"The goal of this project is to create a working ir radar system. The system will only be required to measure close proximity at an angle of 90 degrees as seen in the example above. The range of system is roughly 4-30cm, 20-150cm & 1m-5.5m depending upon which sensor you choose to use. This project uses three main devices to create the personal radar system. The IR Range sensor gives output, the pic microcontroller processes it and then displays the output on the led array. "
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Wow, a system like this would be great for someone like me, who is just learning to drive.