Sonar is simply making use of an echo.

When an animal or machine makes a noise, it sends sound waves

into the environment around it. Those waves bounce off nearby objects, and some of them reflect back
to the object that made the noise.

Radar uses radio waves, which are a type of electromagnetic energy. Sonar uses the echo principle by
sending out sound waves underwater or through the human body to locate objects. Sound waves are a
type of acoustic energy. Because of the different type of energy used in radar and sonar, each has its
own applications.

Sonar can be categorized as being active or passive. Active sonar involves the transmission and
reception of sound waves. For example, when a submarine is used to map the topography of the ocean's
floor, it sends out sound pulses, often referred to as pings, towards the bottom of the ocean within its
vicinity. The fishing industry also uses sonar and the Doppler effect to monitor the balance between the
supply fish and the breeding fish. The most common use of sound waves happens with ultrasonic
frequencies in industrial and medical applications. These are usually called ultrasounds.

How does sonar work?

Sonar is simply making use of an echo. When an animal or machine makes a noise, it sends sound waves
into the environment around it. Those waves bounce off nearby objects, and some of them reflect back
to the object that made the noise. It's those reflected sound waves that you hear when your voice
echoes back to you from a canyon. Whales and specialized machines can use reflected waves to locate
distant objects and sense their shape and movement Sonar (originally an acronym for sound navigation
ranging) is a technique that uses sound propagation (usually underwater, as in submarine navigation) to
navigate, communicate with or detect objects on or under the surface of the water, such as other
vessels.

The range of low-frequency sonar is remarkable. Dolphins and whales can tell the difference between
objects as small as a BB pellet from 50 feet (15 meters) away, and they use sonar much more than sight
to find their food, families, and direction. The LFA sonar being tested by the military can travel
thousands of miles, and could cover 80% of the earth's oceans by broadcasting from only four points.
The frequency that both whales and the military use falls between 100 and 500 Hz. Whales send signals
out between 160 and 190 Db, the Navy has tested its sonar signals at levels up to 235 Db.

SOund NAvigation and Ranging—SONAR—is used to find and identify objects in water. It is also used to
determine water depth (bathymetry). Sonar is applied to water-based activities because sound waves
attenuate (taper off) less in water as they travel than do radar and light waves.

These disadvantages include: poor directional resolution due to the wide beam used; slow sound speed
reduces sensing rate; obstacles with smooth surfaces appear invisible to the mobile robot; non-existing
objects are detected due to reflections produced by the sonar; the environment can cause fluctuations
in the travel.