A 180° ultrasonic radar system built using Arduino, HC-SR04 ultrasonic sensor, SG90 servo motor, and buzzer, with a real-time radar visualization developed using Processing 4.
The ultrasonic sensor continuously sweeps from 0° to 180° using the servo motor and measures the distance of detected objects. The measured angle and distance are transmitted from Arduino to Processing through serial communication and displayed on a graphical radar interface.
When an object is detected within the 30 cm alert range, the target is highlighted in red and the buzzer is activated.
- 📡 180° Radar Scanning
- 📏 Ultrasonic Distance Measurement
- 🔄 Servo-Controlled Sensor Sweeping
- 💻 Real-Time Processing 4 Visualization
- 🎯 Object Detection
- 🚨 30 cm Proximity Alert
- 🔴 Red Target Indication for Nearby Objects
- 🔊 Buzzer Alert
- 📊 Real-Time Angle and Distance Data
- 🖥️ Arduino-to-Processing Serial Communication
- 🧪 Proteus Simulation
| Component | Quantity | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Arduino UNO / Nano / Mega | 1 | Main controller |
| HC-SR04 Ultrasonic Sensor | 1 | Distance measurement |
| SG90 Micro Servo Motor | 1 | 180° sensor movement |
| Buzzer | 1 | Proximity alert |
| Breadboard | 1 | Circuit prototyping |
| Jumper Wires | As required | Connections |
| USB Cable | 1 | Arduino programming and serial communication |
| Component | Arduino Pin |
|---|---|
| Servo Signal | D9 |
| HC-SR04 Trig | D10 |
| HC-SR04 Echo | D11 |
| Buzzer (+) | D12 |
| VCC | 5V |
| GND | GND |
The system works in the following sequence:
- The SG90 servo motor rotates the HC-SR04 ultrasonic sensor from 0° to 180°.
- At each angle, the HC-SR04 sends an ultrasonic pulse.
- The sensor receives the reflected echo from nearby objects.
- Arduino calculates the distance using the echo time.
- Arduino sends the angle and distance values to the computer through serial communication.
- Processing 4 receives the serial data.
- Processing converts the data into a real-time radar visualization.
- If an object is detected within 30 cm, the radar target changes to red.
- The buzzer produces an alert tone when the object enters the alert range.
- The servo continues sweeping, providing continuous 180° scanning.
The HC-SR04 measures distance based on the time taken by the ultrasonic pulse to travel to the object and return.
The distance is calculated using:
Distance = (Echo Time × Speed of Sound) / 2
The division by 2 is required because the ultrasonic wave travels to the object and then returns to the sensor.
The system uses a 30 cm threshold for object detection alerts.
| Distance | Radar Display | Buzzer |
|---|---|---|
| > 30 cm | Normal target | OFF |
| ≤ 30 cm | 🔴 Red target | ON |
| > 400 cm | Out of range | OFF |
Readings beyond approximately 400 cm are treated as out-of-range to keep the radar visualization clean.
Used to program the Arduino and control:
- HC-SR04 ultrasonic sensor
- SG90 servo motor
- Buzzer
- Serial communication
Used to create the graphical radar interface and visualize:
- Radar sweep
- Detected object position
- Object distance
- Detection angle
- Proximity warning
Used for circuit simulation and testing of the project.
The project uses the Arduino:
Servo
The Servo library is commonly included with the Arduino IDE.
The Processing sketch requires:
Serial
To install it:
Sketch → Import Library → Manage Libraries
Search for Serial and install the required library.
Open:
Code's/Arduino_Radar.ino
in the Arduino IDE.
Select your Arduino board and the correct COM port, then upload the program.
Connect the components according to the wiring table.
Make sure:
- HC-SR04 VCC is connected to 5V.
- HC-SR04 GND is connected to GND.
- Servo signal is connected to D9.
- HC-SR04 Trig is connected to D10.
- HC-SR04 Echo is connected to D11.
- Buzzer is connected to D12.
Open:
Code's/Radar_Visualization.pde
Locate the serial port configuration in the Processing code.
For example:
final String PORT_NAME = "COM3";Change COM3 to the COM port assigned to your Arduino.
For example:
final String PORT_NAME = "COM5";After uploading the Arduino code:
- Keep the Arduino connected to the computer.
- Close the Arduino Serial Monitor if it is open.
- Open the Processing sketch.
- Select Run in Processing.
- The radar visualization will start.
- Move an object in front of the ultrasonic sensor to test detection.
The Proteus simulation files are available in:
Proteus/
Proteus/Radar_project.pdsprj
Note: The Proteus simulation is provided for circuit testing and demonstration. The Processing radar visualization operates through serial communication with the Arduino.
Ultrasonic-Radar-System-using-Arduino/
│
├── Code's/
│ ├── Arduino_Radar.ino
│ └── Radar_Visualization.pde
│
├── Hardware-&-Image's/
│ ├── Final-Project.png
│ ├── Project-IMG.jpg
│ ├── Radar-Detects.jpg
│ ├── Radar-View.jpg
│ └── Simulation-IMG.png
│
├── Proteus/
│ ├── Radar-View.jpg
│ ├── Radar_project.pdsprj
│ └── Simulation-IMG.png
│
└── README.md
- Arduino
- HC-SR04 Ultrasonic Sensor
- SG90 Servo Motor
- Processing 4
- Proteus
- Serial Communication
- Embedded C / Arduino C++
This project can be used as a basic platform for:
- 🤖 Robotics
- 🚗 Autonomous vehicles
- 🛡️ Object detection systems
- 📡 Distance measurement
- 🏠 Security systems
- 🧪 Embedded systems experiments
- 🎓 Electronics and engineering education
- 🔬 Sensor-based automation projects
Possible improvements for the next version include:
- 📱 Wireless radar monitoring using ESP32
- 📶 Wi-Fi-based data transmission
- 📊 Improved radar graphics
- 🔊 Variable alert frequency based on distance
- 🎯 Multiple-object tracking
- 💾 Data logging
- 📈 Distance history and graphs
- 🖥️ Web-based radar dashboard
- 🔄 Automatic scanning optimization
Imandi Lakshmi Pavan Kalyan Imandi
Electronics & Communication Engineering
GitHub: Pavan Kalyan Imandi
LinkedIn: Lakshmi Pavan Kalyan Imandi
If you found this project useful or interesting, consider giving the repository a ⭐ Star on GitHub.
Feel free to explore the source code, Proteus simulation, hardware images, and Processing visualization.