IR Breakbeam 50cm Sensor

Like in an action spy movie, infrared light can create laser beams that carry signals from a transmitter to a receiver. Although invisible to the human eye, these beams of IR light could be “broken” by anyone touching them or passing objects that are not transparent to IR into them. So, this IR Breakbeam Sensor is a simple component for detecting motion. Working a maximum of 50cm apart, the receiver and transmitter each include 25cm of lead wires to easily connect to your Arduino project.

As much as it would be cool to riddle our hallway with random IR beams and challenge our friends to pass through them undetected, these IR Breakbeam 50cm Sensors do have more practical applications. While line of sight between the two sensors is important, this IR Breakbeam Sensor is designed to fit into compact spaces. With a response time of < 2ms, these sensors are ideal for speed detection and timing applications. Once the IR beam is broken by motion, your receiver will output a signal telling your connected controller board which can then perform a set of responses. You could incorporate this IR motion detector into smart robots, your home’s smart lights, or even a simple security sensor.

As self-proclaimed “Robo-holics”, DFRobot is a company comprised of over 100 staff members, of which 30% are engineers who love to build robots. It was started in 2008 with the goal of embracing and promoting open-source hardware, with a core focus on Arduino, Raspberry Pi and their very own LattePanda development boards. Since then, DFRobot have manufactured over 1300 unique modules, sensors and components that all work together and complement each other, allowing users like us to enjoy a full spectrum of cutting edge robotics and electronics without having to pay premium prices.

With the primary goal of developing and manufacturing great quality products, while making them accessible to as many people as possible, DFRobot are rapidly becoming one of the most common-place brands in the world of open-source robotics and electronics. With more than 1300 products developed in-house, and an impressive range of different categories and specialisations, there are few brands in the world who can compete in terms of quality, accessibility and genuine innovation.