This article introduces 15 sensor projects suitable for Arduino beginners. In this article, we will help you create some very simple sensor projects that are ideal for Arduino newcomers. These basic projects will help you understand how to set up Arduino and then connect sensors to perform specific tasks. These sensors can be used in our daily lives to solve specific problems or make our lives easier.
Sensors are devices that detect and measure physical properties and respond to them by recording or indicating. They can detect and respond to some type of input from the physical environment. Specific inputs can be light, heat, motion, humidity, pressure, or other environmental phenomena.
1. Color Sensor
The color sensor is a full-color detector. It consists of the TCS3200 RGB sensor chip and four white LEDs. It can detect and measure an almost infinite range of visible colors to some extent. In fact, the color of an object we see is the color light reflected in white light (sunlight) after the object absorbs the rest of the colors. White is a mixture of various visible colors, meaning it includes light from every color, such as red (R), yellow (Y), green (G), and purple (P). According to the theory of primary colors, any color can be made by mixing the three primary colors (red, green, and blue) in a certain proportion.
Here are projects using color sensors:
● Using Arduino board and color sensor TCS230 for color sensing
● Using Arduino board and color sensor to distinguish different colors
2. Barometric Pressure Sensor
BMP180 is a powerful successor to the BMP085, a next-generation high-precision digital pressure sensor aimed at consumer applications. BMP180’s ultra-low power and low voltage are optimized for mobile phones, PDAs, GPS navigation devices, and outdoor equipment. It can measure a pressure range of 300 to 1100 hPa (altitude from 9000 to 500 meters).
Here are projects using the barometric pressure sensor (BMP180):
● Using Arduino board and BMP180 to determine pressure and altitude
● How to make an electronic barometer using BMP180 pressure sensor + Arduino
3. Pulse/Heartbeat Sensor
The pulse sensor is a plug-and-play heart rate sensor suitable for Arduino. Students, makers, and developers who need to incorporate real-time heart rate data into their projects can use this sensor.
Here are projects using the pulse sensor:
● Making an ECG simulator using AD8232 and Arduino
● Monitoring pulse rate over the Internet using ThingSpeak and ESP8266
4. Gas/Smoke/Alcohol Sensor
MQ-135 is an air quality sensor used to detect various gases, including NH3, NOx, alcohol, benzene, smoke, and CO2. It is suitable for offices or factories. The MQ135 gas sensor is highly sensitive to ammonia, sulfides, and benzene vapors and is also very sensitive to smoke and other harmful gases. It is low-cost and especially suitable for air quality monitoring applications.
Here are projects using the gas/smoke/alcohol sensor:
● How to create an IoT smoke detection system using Arduino, ESP8266, and gas sensor
● Smoke detector based on MQ-135 sensor and Arduino board
5. Temperature Sensor
Typically, a temperature sensor is a device specifically designed to measure the heat or cold of an object. The LM35 is a precision temperature sensor whose output is proportional to temperature (in °C). With the LM35, temperature can be measured more accurately than using a thermistor.
Here are projects using two LM35 temperature sensors:
● Monitoring air temperature using Arduino and LM35 temperature sensor
● Connecting LM35 temperature sensor with Arduino board
6. Sound Sensor
This module allows you to detect when sound exceeds a set point you choose. It detects sound through a microphone and feeds it into an LM393 operational amplifier. The sound level set point is adjusted through an onboard potentiometer. When the sound level exceeds the set point, the LED on the module lights up and outputs.
Here is a sound sensor project:
● Making a decibel meter using Arduino + sound module + LCD display
● Creating a music fountain using sound sensor and Arduino board
7. Flame/Fire Sensor
The flame sensor module consists of a flame sensor (IR receiver), resistors, capacitors, potentiometer, and comparator LM393. It can detect infrared light with wavelengths from 700nm to 1000nm. The infrared flame probe converts the detected infrared light into changes in current. Sensitivity is adjusted through an onboard potentiometer.
Here is a flame sensor project:
● Building a fire alarm system using flame sensor and Arduino board
8. Touch Sensor
Touch sensor technology is gradually replacing mechanical methods such as mice and keyboards. Touch sensors can detect touch without physical contact. Touch sensors are entering many applications such as mobile phones, remote controls, and control panels. Today’s touch sensors can completely replace mechanical buttons and switches.
Here is a touch sensor project:
● Implementing touch control of a light bulb using TTP223 touch sensor and Arduino UNO board
9. PIR Sensor
A passive infrared sensor (PIR sensor) is an electronic sensor that measures infrared light emitted by objects in its field of view. They are most commonly used in PIR-based motion detectors. All objects with a temperature above absolute zero emit heat energy in the form of radiation. Typically, this radiation is invisible to the human eye as it radiates in infrared wavelengths, but it can be detected by electronic devices designed for this purpose.
Here is a PIR sensor project:
● Creating a motion detector using PIR sensor and Arduino board
● Implementing simple motion and gesture recognition using PIR sensor and Arduino board
10. Accelerometer Sensor
An accelerometer is an electromechanical device used to measure acceleration. This force can be static, such as continuous gravity, or dynamic, as in many mobile devices, to sense motion or vibration. Acceleration is a measure of the change in velocity or velocity divided by time. It measures the appropriate acceleration, which is the acceleration of an object in its instantaneous rest frame, as opposed to coordinate acceleration (acceleration in a fixed coordinate system).
Here is a project using ADXL345 accelerometer sensor:
● How to track direction using Arduino board and ADXL345 accelerometer
11. Ultrasonic Sensor
As the name suggests, ultrasonic sensors measure distance using ultrasonic waves.
The sensor emits ultrasonic waves and receives the waves reflected back from the target. The ultrasonic sensor measures the distance to the target by measuring the time between emission and reception.
Here are two projects using HC-SR04 ultrasonic sensors:
● Complete guide to using HC-SR04 ultrasonic sensor with Arduino board
● Measuring distance using Arduino and HC-SR04 ultrasonic sensor
12. Humidity Sensor
DHT11 is a basic ultra-low-cost digital temperature and humidity sensor. It uses a capacitive humidity sensor and thermistor to measure the surrounding air and sends a digital signal (no need for analog input pins) on the data pin. It is relatively simple to use, but requires precise timing to obtain data. The only real drawback of this sensor is that you can only get new data from it once every 2 seconds, so the readings from the sensor may take up to 2 seconds when using our library.
Here are projects using DHT11/DHT22 humidity sensors:
● Beginner’s guide to using DHT11/DHT22 temperature and humidity sensor with Arduino board
● How to use DHT11 temperature and humidity sensor with Arduino board
● Creating an Arduino temperature data logger using DHT11
13. IR Sensor
An infrared sensor is an electronic device that can sense infrared light to detect the surrounding environment. Infrared sensors can measure the heat of an object and also detect motion. These types of sensors can only measure infrared radiation and do not emit infrared radiation, hence they are called passive infrared sensors.
Here are related projects using infrared sensors:
● Making a digital tachometer to measure RPM using infrared sensor and Arduino
● Creating an analog speedometer using Arduino board and infrared sensor
● How to connect PIR infrared sensor with Arduino board?
14. LDR Light Sensor
Light-dependent resistor (LDR) is a light-sensitive device most commonly used to indicate the presence of light or to measure light intensity. In darkness, their resistance value is very high, sometimes up to 1MΩ, but when the LDR sensor is exposed to light, the resistance value drops sharply, sometimes down to a few ohms, depending on the intensity of the light. LDRs have sensitivity that varies with the wavelength of light applied and are nonlinear devices. They are used in many applications, but sometimes can be replaced with other devices.
Here are two projects using LDR/light sensors:
● How to use light-dependent resistor LDR with Arduino board
● How to use LDR sensor with Arduino board
15. UV Ray Sensor
ML8511 is a ultraviolet sensor suitable for obtaining the UV intensity indoors and outdoors. ML8511 comes with an internal amplifier that converts the photocurrent into voltage based on UV intensity. This unique feature allows for easy connection to external circuits such as ADC. In power-down mode, the typical standby current is 0.1uA, allowing for extended battery life.
Here are related projects using VEML6070 ultraviolet sensor:
● How to create an Arduino UV index meter using VEML6070
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