Ultrasonic sensing has several advantages over other sensing technique like IR based. The US transducer can be made with water-proof enclosure and hence are resistant to moisture and rain. The US transducer also have robust performance through dirt, dust, and debris and can operate at both high and low temperature.

Unlike IR based sensor, the US transducer can detect both opaque and transparent object with same accuracy and are equal sensitivity to both light and dark colored object

Nevertheless, there is one major disadvantage of US sensing, the US sensing is generally unable to detect objects with similar acoustic impedance to transmission medium. For example, in an air-coupled application, the ultrasonic energy can pass through, be absorbed, or scattered by soft, low-density objects.