[shorod]

Again, knowing the requirements of your system will help suggest position sensors for your application.

Can you provide a scenario or "Concept of Operations" discussion? Will this vehicle need to perform an obstacle course autonomously? Will it be expected to perform collision avoidance? What type of speeds are you talking?

There are lots of possibilities, each with their own pros and cons depending on application.

Wikipedia actually has some pretty good write ups on Hall Effect sensors, optical encoders, rotary encoders, etc. That might be a good place to start. Your school's library probably has a plethora of information as well, and without a doubt you have access to professors that could help with suggestions.

-Rod