packocrayons:
I'm assuming this means it won't pickup anything human. It's from some remote control system that uses infra red LED's in the transmitter, I assumed there had to be some way of collecting the signals for processing.
That kind of "infrared sensor" will not detect the presence of a human.
This kind of "infrared sensor" will not directly sense a human but it can be used to sense when an object (like a human) is in front of the dispenser...
https://www.google.com/search?q=infrared+distance+sensor
Other possibilities...
https://www.google.com/search?q=ultrasonic+distance+sensor
https://www.google.com/search?q=passive+infrared+sensor
Were I in your shoes, I'd give the first option a try.