Proximity Sensor

Proximity Sensor

Technical description:
The sensor is a nice way to add a small-distance proximity sensor to your microcontroller project. It is designed for much shorter distances, no more than 200mm (about 7.5″) and experimentation shows that it worked best at distances of about 10-150mm. It would be good for say detecting when a hand moved nearby, or before a robot smacks into a wall. The sensor also has an ambient light sensor built in.
The sensor uses an infrared LED to bounce light off objects in front of it and time how fast it takes for the light to return. With the sensor, it is easy to read the proximity (i.e. if an object is near or far) and even ambient light level over a simple I2C connection.

Limitations:
It can only use for short distances, no more than 200mm (about 7.5″).

Skill:
Core Skill: Electrical Prototyping
Skill Level: Noob

Sample Sensor:
VCNL4010 Proximity/Light sensor
https://www.adafruit.com/product/466

Sample Exercise and basic codes:
Use in Arduino
https://learn.adafruit.com/using-vcnl4010-proximity-sensor/arduino