Help creating a "basic guidance" for a simple craw

[GreenAce92]

Ok first off... here's how I imagine I would try this... using 2 IR LED's from an IR transmitter, I would create a "proximity" guidance, like a digital version of a mechanical feeler with SPDT setup. Although does this mean that I need an IR receiver of some kind? And some little IC chip or something? Ahh... maybe this is harder than I thought.

I'd really like to make this with caps and all kinds of parts, I have a bunch of broken things that I saved. I figure for locomotion I can use 2 broken servos that I have modded for 360 degree rotation and whegs...

Can anybody shed some light?
Here's what I hope to accomplish, avoiding running into objects and falling off of ledges.

 

[GreenAce92]

Seems like the most basic setup is having an IR led for light input or "infra red signal etc..." and a phototransistor for a detector and then some PIC Microcontroller that would decide what to do with these signals....

So that's where I'm at I guess, working with PIC Micro controllers