Contactless Lift Floor Selector using Gesture Sensor

Lift buttons are among the most-touched surfaces in any building, and in hospitals, laboratories and food plants that is a genuine hygiene problem. Touchless elevator panels exist commercially but are proprietary, expensive units that a student can neither open nor explain. This project builds the same idea from accessible parts: an APDS-9960 proximity/gesture sensor mounted behind the panel face detects hand swipes without contact, and an ESP32 translates up, down, left and right swipes into floor selection, door-hold and cancel commands. A row of floor indicator LEDs and a 7-segment display mirror the selection, while a piezo buzzer gives audible confirmation for every recognized gesture. A proximity wake feature lights the panel only when a hand approaches, and a dwell-time guard rejects accidental passes. The gesture decoding runs entirely on the microcontroller — no cloud, no phone app — so the panel works as a standalone drop-in control.

1. The APDS-9960 continuously measures proximity; when a hand enters range it wakes the panel and lights the floor indicators.
2. Its on-chip gesture engine reports swipe direction over I2C; the ESP32 reads these reports at 50 Hz.
3. Firmware applies the gesture vocabulary: up/down swipe steps the selected floor, right swipe confirms, left swipe cancels — each step flashes the corresponding LED.
4. A debounce timer and minimum-dwell check reject accidental or partial swipes before any selection changes.
5. The confirmed floor is shown on the 7-segment display and indicator LEDs, and a two-tone buzzer pattern signals confirmation.
6. After 10 seconds of no hand presence the panel returns to its low-power idle state; a selection times out unconfirmed if never confirmed.

Tech stack:

• ESP32 dev board
• APDS-9960 gesture/proximity sensor · I2C
• 7-segment display · floor indicator LEDs
• Piezo buzzer
• Arduino IDE · C/C++ firmware

• [Touch-free floor selection] APDS-9960 gesture engine decodes up/down swipes into floor up/down selection at roughly 10–20 cm range — the panel face is never touched.
• [Gesture vocabulary] Up, down, left and right swipes mapped to floor select, door hold, cancel and confirm, with per-gesture LED flash feedback so the user learns the vocabulary in seconds.
• [Proximity wake] The panel idles dark and wakes its indicators when a hand comes within range, cutting idle current and giving a clear "I see you" cue.
• [Floor indication] Four floor LEDs (G, 1, 2, 3) plus a 7-segment display show the currently selected floor; selection wraps safely and never exceeds the configured floor count.
• [Buzzer confirmation] Distinct beep patterns for gesture accepted, gesture rejected and selection confirmed — usable by visually guided users without looking at the panel.
• [Dwell and debounce logic] Firmware requires the gesture engine's confidence pattern plus a minimum dwell before acting, so walk-by motion does not trigger phantom selections.
• [Configurable floors] Floor count and gesture mapping are compile-time constants with a documented procedure, so the panel adapts to 2–8 floor buildings.

• Working contactless lift floor selector prototype (ESP32, gesture sensor, display, LEDs, buzzer)
• Complete firmware source with gesture vocabulary and debounce logic
• Wiring diagram and panel layout documentation
• Gesture calibration and range-tuning procedure
• Project report PDF (background, gesture sensing theory, state machine, testing)
• PPT presentation for final review
• Viva Q&A preparation document (I2C, gesture engine, debouncing, state machines)

• Gesture range is approximately 10–20 cm per the sensor's typical behavior — it is a near-field panel, not a wave-from-across-the-lobby control; the report documents the buyer-run range measurement procedure rather than claiming a measured figure.
• Strong direct sunlight on the sensor aperture can degrade gesture recognition; the panel is designed for indoor lift lobbies.
• The prototype is a selector panel demonstrator — it does not interface with a real lift controller or its safety interlocks.
• Gloved or very fast swipes may be rejected by the dwell guard; the vocabulary favors deliberate gestures over speed.
• Wet or reflective surfaces near the sensor can cause false proximity wakes.