During the current Coronavirus pandemic we're all being encouraged to reduce the number of shared surfaces that we touch in order to reduce the risk of virus transmission.
So, this is the third video in a series in which I'll be considering various methods that can be used to replace a traditional Arduino button input with a touch-free interface instead, requiring no physical contact. This is just one possible consideration of how you can make an escape room (or any other public-facing Arduino interface) more "Covid-secure".


In this part I'll be looking at a "Laser Time-of-Flight Sensor" VL53L0X component, which cost around $12 and can be purchased from several online suppliers, such as, e.g. https://www.banggood.com/custlink/Kvv...
It uses an I2C interface, and there are corresponding libraries available for Arduino, ESP32, or other Microprocessors.


Unlike a simple IR sensor (as demonstrated in this earlier video in the series:    • Infrared Obstacle Avoidance Sensor Tu...   ), which detects the intensity of infra-red light reflected off an object, a time-of-flight sensor detects the phase shift between the modulated laser signal sent and the reflected signal received back. This gives an accurate reading of the distance from the sensor to the object, which is more reliable than that typically obtained from an ultrasonic range sensor.




Timings
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00:00:00-00:00:29 Introduction
00:00:30-00:03:48 Demonstration
00:03:49-00:06:05 Hardware Wiring
00:06:06-00:17:27 Arduino Code Listing
00:17:28-00:18:23 Summary

Code & Wiring Downloads
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If you'd like to support me making more video tutorials explaining how to use tech in escape rooms and other playful settings, please check out my Patreon at   / playfultech  , where you can also find code downloads, wiring diagrams, and additional resources for this and all my other tech projects.