I have a corridor that's about 3-4 meters long and I'm looking to set up a light installation that tracks a person as they move through it. My idea is to create an effect with LED strips that light up in a way that mimics movement, like a meteor or tracing effect. I'm not very experienced with PIR sensors, and I'm finding the delay times a bit tricky since I want quick updates on the person's position. I'm considering whether ultrasonic sensors might be a better option. Any suggestions on which sensors to use? I'd also like to know how to position them effectively for this project, which is focused on using either an ESP32 or Arduino.
2 Answers
You could go with infrared photo eyes similar to those used in garage doors. You can use one at each end for a simpler setup, where an animation plays in the direction of movement, or you could add more sensors for better accuracy in tracking.
Using a combination of one sensor for location tracking (like Lidar or ultrasonic) and another for detecting presence (like PIR or microwave) could be effective. This way, you won’t have to constantly calculate positions when no one is around. If you’re feeling adventurous, you could even explore using a camera with OpenCV to distinguish between people and pets, just know it could add a layer of complexity.
I’ve been reading up on PIR sensors too, and they seem like a good fit for presence detection. As for the location sensor, do you have a particular Lidar or ultrasonic sensor in mind?
That mix of Lidar/ultrasonic for location and PIR for presence sounds solid! It should help save processing power by only seeking out presence when someone is actually in the corridor. OpenCV is cool, but might be overkill if you only need basic movement tracking.