I am wondering if anyone knows how to detect something with infrared LEDs. I think I should be able to simply put the LED on and then detect if it reflects with an infrared receiver but I want to make sure. Will it bounce off things besides metal and detect any object? What is the range like?

Thanks!

 

The IR reflectivity of the surface will have a major impact on range and sensitivity. It's hard to say more without more detail.

Modulating the IR LED at, say, 1-80kHz and then filtering the carrier out at the receiver will help a lot.

 

The IR reflectivity of the surface will have a major impact on range and sensitivity. It's hard to say more without more detail.

Modulating the IR LED at, say, 1-80kHz and then filtering the carrier out at the receiver will help a lot.

I am planning on putting it on a robot and just want to detect things from about a foot.

 

You may need an ultrasonic rangefinder.