
Gesture Breakout with APDS-9960
Based on the RGB and Gesture APDS-9960 sensor, equipped with integrated anti-UV and IR filters, four separate diodes sensitive to different directions, and an I2C compatible interface, this small breakout board allows obtaining light and color measurements, proximity and motion detection without contact at a distance from 10 to 20 cm.
Overview
With this RGB and Gesture sensor, you will be able to control a computer, microcontroller, robot, and much more with a simple hand gesture!
The usage pins are as follows: VL (optional IR LED power supply), GND (Ground), VCC (3.3V power supply), SDA (I2C data), SCL (I2C clock), INT (interrupt).
Attention! The breakout operates at 3.3V. Bidirectional communication with 5V devices requires a level shifter.
Tech specs
- Power supply: 3.3 volts
- Interface: I2C
- Detection distance: 10-20 cm.
Conformities
Get Inspired
An IoT Moisture sensor that sends moisture data from an Arduino Nano 33 IoT to the Arduino IoT Cloud

As climate change continues to worsen, events such as heavy rains, hurricanes, and atmospheric rivers have only intensified, and with them, large amounts of flooding that pose serious risks to life and property. Jude Pullen and Pete Milne, therefore, have responded by creating a "physical app" that can show the potential for flood dangers in real-time with sound, lights, and an ePaper display. The Arduino Nano 33 IoT powering the Flood Alert device sources its data from the UK Environmental Agency’s API to get statistics on an area’s latest risk level along with an extended description of what to expect. Initially, the electronics were mounted to a breadboard and housed within a cardboard enclosure, but a later revision moved everything to soldered protoboard, a 3D-printed case, and even added a piezoelectric buzzer to generate audible alerts. For now, the Flood Alert’s sole source of data is the aforementioned API, but Pullen hopes to expand his potential data sources to include “hyper-local” sensors that can all be aggregated and analyzed to give a much more precise view of flooding in a smaller area. To learn more about Flood Alert and its myriad applications to local communities and beyond, check out the original long read article’ is available at DesignSpark.