I want to detect a person walking by, about six feet away, as a trigger for my Arduino project. A light beam that's broken by the person might be feasible but I'd prefer something similar to one of those infrared light switches. What specific part(s) are recommended.
Of course any advice on hooking it up will be appreciated.
To give you a sense of my expertise, and lack thereof, I'm most of the way through a starter kit and loving it.
Thanks in advance for you time.
6 feet = 1.83 meters. That is a very short range.
The common PIR sensor work okay for 4 or 5 meters, they will also work with only 1 or 2 meters.
There are PIR sensor modules on Ebay and AliExpress (search for : pir) for about 1 dollar. They do also work.
They detect someone walking by, not someone standing still. And perhaps not in the full sun, or when it is very hot inside.
(6ft12"/ft 1m/39" = 1.846m, close enough to 1.83 for the discussion)
Try this : 6 feet meter - Google Search 