VL53L0X Time-of-Flight Distance Sensor

Measure distance to a hand or wall in millimetres using a 940 nm laser pulse — no ultrasonic ping, no triangulation.

Difficulty: Breadboard. Estimated build time: about 30 minutes. Estimated parts cost: about US$6.00. 3-part bill of materials with live supplier pricing. A solid-state laser rangefinder built from the ST VL53L0X, a single-chip time-of-flight sensor about the size of a grain of rice.