Motor Shield Capable of Driving 5 DC motors?

wildbill:
Guessing - I haven't used one, but I'd assume that the current sensing pin gives you the opportunity to measure the current the motor is pulling, on the arduino by using analogread and doing a little math. This would let you detect when your motors are stalled.

Yes, that is typically what it is used for. It is also used for torque feedback, which some applications require.