Infrared (IR) break-beam sensors are a simple way to detect motion. They work by having an emitter side that sends out a beam of human-invisible IR light, then a receiver across the way which is sensitive to that same light. When something passes between the two, and its not transparent to IR, then the 'beam is broken' and the receiver will let you know. Compared to...

You've heard about the sensors in the news, when used in self-driving cars, and now you can have your own! Garmin's LIDAR-Lite V3 is the ideal high-performance (but compact) optical distant measurement sensor solution for drone, rovers, robots, or interactive project. Garmin makes high quality sensors, they're renowned for their GPS sensors, and these LIDARs are nice...

We've got many distance sensors, and the TFmini Distance Sensor is a nice addition. This sensor bounces light off objects and returns the distance in centimeters. It's a nice compact plastic package, with UART serial output. Please note that the company calls this a "LiDAR" but it is not a true LIDAR. Instead, its a time-of-flight (ToF) infrared sensor like the...

The VL53L0X is a Time of Flight distance sensor like no other you've used! The sensor contains a very tiny invisible laser source, and a matching sensor. The VL53L0X can detect the "time of flight", or how long the light has taken to bounce back to the sensor. Since it uses a very narrow light source, it is good for determining distance of only the surface directly...

The VL6180X (sometimes called the VL6180) is a Time of Flight distance sensor like no other you've used! The sensor contains a very tiny laser source, and a matching sensor. The VL6180X can detect the "time of flight", or how long the laser light has taken to bounce back to the sensor. Since it uses a very narrow light source, it is good for determining distance of...

The Adafruit VL53L1X Time of Flight Distance Sensor (also known as VL53L1CX) is a Time of Flight distance sensor that has a massive 4 meter range and LIDAR-like precision. The sensor contains a very tiny invisible laser source and a matching sensor. The VL53L1X can detect the "time of flight", or how long the light has taken to bounce back to the sensor. Since it...

Infrared (IR) break-beam sensors are a simple way to detect motion. They work by having an emitter side that sends out a beam of human-invisible IR light, then a receiver across the way which is sensitive to that same light. When something passes between the two, and its not transparent to IR, then the 'beam is broken' and the receiver will let you know. Compared to...

This little sensor looks an awful lot like the popular DHT11/DHT22 temperature and humidity sensors, but unlike classic DHT sensors, it has an I2C interface! That's right, you do not need to use a bit-bang timing-specific protocol to talk to the AM2320, it uses plain-old-I2C. Whew, that makes things a little easier, doesn't it? But! We'll let you know, this sensor is...

PIR sensors are used to detect motion from pets/humanoids from about 20 feet away (possibly works on zombies, not guaranteed). This one has an adjustable delay before firing (approx 2-4 seconds), adjustable sensitivity and we include a 1 foot (30 cm) cable with a socket so you can easily reposition the sensor or mount it using the two holes on either side. Runs on...

This T-Slot Photo Interrupter with Cable is a simple plastic sensor with two elements - an IR LED and an IR photo-transistor, situated across a U-shaped gap. You can control the IR LED and turn it on to transmit IR light across the gap, to the detector on the other side. This makes it perfect for detecting when something is in the slot. When there's something...

This T-Slot Photo Interrupter is a simple plastic sensor with two elements - an IR LED and an IR photo-transistor, situated across a U-shaped gap. You can control the IR LED and turn it on to transmit IR light across the gap, to the detector on the other side. This makes it perfect for detecting when something is in the slot - when there's something blocking the...

Laser break beam sensors are usually kind of cumbersome. They work by detecting an object breaking a laser beam - but you usually have to set up a laser on one end and a sensor on the other. Unless your sensor is big, it can easily get out of alignment. ...but not this break beam sensor. It has a light sensor+lens next to the laser to detect the reflected dot when...

If you're like me, you've dreamed of being a dolphin - smoothly gliding through the water. Using your echo-location abilities to detect tasty fish treats. Until genetic modifications catches up with our desires, we'll just have to make do with these handy 3V Ultrasonic Sonar Distance Sensor and a pair of flippers. These ubiquitous sensors are really common in...

This SHARP distance sensor bounces IR off objects to determine how far away they are. It returns an analog voltage that can be used to determine how close the nearest object is. Comes with 12" long 3-JST interface wire. These sensors are good for short-range detection. For over 1 m distance, we suggest using sonar sensors To use, connect black wire to ground, red...

This SHARP distance sensor bounces IR off objects to determine how far away they are. It returns an analog voltage that can be used to determine how close the nearest object is. Comes with 8" long 3-JST interface wire. These sensors are good for detection between 20cm-150cm. For over 1 m distance, we suggest using sonar sensors. To use, connect black wire to ground,...

Discontinued - you can grab Adafruit VL53L1X Time of Flight Distance Sensor - ~30 to 4000mm - STEMMA QT / Qwiic instead! This extra-long-range SHARP distance sensor bounces IR off objects to determine how far away they are. It returns an analog voltage that can be used to determine how close the nearest object is. Comes with 6" long 6-JST interface wire. These...

If you're like me, you've dreamed of being a dolphin - smoothly gliding through the water. Using your echo-location abilities to detect tasty fish treats. Until genetic modifications catch up with our desires, we'll just have to make do with this handy US-100 Ultrasonic Sonar Distance Sensor and a pair of flippers. The US-100 is very similar to the popular HC-SR04...

The VCNL4010 sensor is a nice way to add a small-distance proximity sensor to your microcontroller project. For longer distances (in the range of cm, you can use a SHARP IR distance sensor, but those are only good if the object is over 10 cm away. The VCNL4010 is designed for much shorter distances, no more than 200mm (about 7.5") and under our experimentation we...

If you're like me, you've always wanted a smaller and faster way to sense an object between 2 and 10 centimeters away. If you're really like me, you've wanted the sensor to come with a low current draw and on a tiny carrier board with all of the external components required to make it work. The Pololu Carrier with Sharp GP2Y0D810Z0F Digital Distance Sensor fits those...

If you're like me, you've always wanted a smaller and faster way to sense an object between 0.5 and 5 centimeters away. If you're really like me, you've wanted the sensor to come with a low current draw and on a tiny carrier board with all of the external components required to make it work. The Pololu Carrier with Sharp GP2Y0D805Z0F Digital Distance Sensor fits...

This impressive-looking horn is actually an ultrasonic sensor, ready for panel mount use. Inside is a module that uses high-frequency signals to determine distance to a surface, and the horn helps guide the waveform so it can reach farther without spreading too wide. It's elegant looking and is more durable than the 'raw' ultrasonics we sell a lot of, so it would do...

If you're like me, you've dreamed of being a dolphin - smoothly gliding through the water. Using your echo-location abilities to detect tasty fish treats. Until genetic modifications catches up with our desires, we'll just have to make do with these handy HC-SR04 Ultrasonic Sonar Distance Sensors and a pair of flippers. These ubiquitous sensors are really common in...

Garmin's LIDAR-Lite LED V4 is the latest, ideal high-performance (but compact) optical distant measurement sensor solution for robotics, Internet of Things, and unmanned vehicles – or any application where an ultrasonic sensor might otherwise be used. Garmin makes high-quality sensors. They're renowned for their GPS sensors, and these distance sensors are nice...

This sensor is essentially a reed switch, encased in an ABS plastic shell. Normally the reed is 'open' (no connection between the two wires). The other half is a magnet. When the magnet is less than 13mm (0.5") away, the reed switch closes. They're often used to detect when a door or drawer is open, which is why they have mounting tabs and screws. You can also pick...

The Adafruit VL53L4CX Time of Flight Sensor is another great Time of Flight distance sensor from ST in the VL5 series of chips, this one is great for long distances - it goes up to 6 meters compared with 4 meter max of the VL53L1X. The sensor contains a very tiny invisible laser source and a matching sensor. The VL53L4CX can detect the "time of flight", or how long...

The Adafruit VL53L4CD Time of Flight Sensor is another great Time of Flight distance sensor from ST in the VL5 series of chips, this one is great for shorter distances. The sensor contains a very tiny invisible laser source and a matching sensor. The VL53L4CD can detect the "time of flight", or how long the light has taken to bounce back to the sensor. Since it uses...

Take your sonar outside - great for all-weather robots! The XL-MaxSonar-WRMA1 ignores smaller targets and only reports the range to target with the largest acoustic return. This is our most advanced weather-resistant sensor designed for target detection and ranging outdoors or in tank or bin applications. The weather-resistant XL-MaxSonar-WRMA1 is a rugged ultrasonic...

This camera module can be a pretty neat project addition. It was designed to be used in security systems and does two main things - it outputs NTSC video and can take snapshots of that video (in color) and transmit them over the TTL serial link. You can snap pictures at 640x480, 320x240 or 160x120 and they're pre-compressed JPEG images which makes them nice and small...

This weatherproof camera module is a classy upgrade to the basic camera module we already stock in the shop. The main differences is that this one comes in a nice metal case with a mounting hinge, a 1 meter long cable with the TTL & NTSC signals brought out, and it has an automatic IR LED system for night time photos. When the onboard photo-cell detects that it...

This sleek-looking 'button' is actually an ultrasonic sensor, ready for panel mount use. Inside is a module that uses high-frequency signals to determine distance to a surface. It's elegant looking and is more durable than the 'raw' ultrasonics we sell a lot of, so it would do well in a garage, robot, or installation where you want a durable dust and...

T​​​​​​his handheld digital thermometer with built-in infrared remote temperature sensor is perfect for quickly and easily checking folk's temperatures. There is no skin contact and no need to worry about disinfecting or sticking under your tongue, ear, or elsewhere. It's super fast, get a reading in a second! Excellent for human temperature & fever...

This video camera takes photos of temperatures! This camera is specifically tuned to work in the 30˚C~45˚C / 86˚F~113˚ F range with 0.5˚C / 1˚ F accuracy, so it's excellent for human temperature & fever detection. In fact, this thermal camera is often used by companies/airports/hotels/malls to do a first-pass fever check: If any person has a temperature of...

This video camera takes photos of temperatures! This camera is specifically tuned to work in the 30˚C~45˚C / 86˚F~113˚ F range with 0.5˚C / 1˚ F accuracy, so it's excellent for human temperature & fever detection. In fact, this thermal camera is often used by companies/airports/hotels/malls to do a first-pass fever check: If any person has a temperature of...

Built to last and better than ever. The Series 1 Pro 3D printers from Type A Machines offer durability, modularity and one of the largest build volumes in their class. Featuring a streamlined aluminum and acrylic body, a glass build surface and a precision laser cut CNC folded metal chassis, the Series 1 Pro pushes the envelope in desktop 3D printing by matching a...

The OpenMV Cam is like a super powerful microcontroller board with a camera on board that you program in MicroPython. It's easy to run machine visions algorithms on what the OpenMV Cam sees so you can track colors, detect faces, and more in seconds, and thanks to the embedded functionality, you can then control I/O pins in the real-world. You program the OpenMV Cam...