To teach the computer to feel: is there a person nearby or not?

Question

Do it yourself

Hi all.
How can you teach a computer to "feel" when any person is 1-2 meters from the system unit (or monitor)?
You just need binary: there is a person nearby / there is no person nearby.
(And all this should be sent via USB to the PC.)
Optional: also, it would be nice to fix the distance and the radial vector / direction.
No video/webcam and no sonar - any possible solutions?
Thanks in advance!

Answer 1

Here you are, please , the finished circuit + code. The only thing is that you need to additionally place the sensor on a movable platform that will rotate (similar to military radars). By synchronizing the rotation speed with the moment the sensor is triggered, you can determine the direction to the object - I can't vouch for the accuracy :)

Answer 2

This problem was easily solved 20 years ago with the help of capacitive sensors. A Google request "connecting a capacitive sensor to a computer" on the very first page gives a bunch of connection options, including "on the knee" solutions.

Answer 3

This is called "presence sensor".
You can, for example, connect via Arduino.
xmoonlight , For example, google for the phrase "proximity sensor"
There is nothing smart there - the same infrared / sonar / capacitive, etc. But everything is already assembled (possibly several types of sensors in one housing) and balanced.
https://www.nix.ru/computer_hardware_news/hardware...

Answer 4

How do you like the temperature sensor? The man came up and raised the temperature.