Add Gesture, Color, Light, and Proximity Sensing to One Compact Build

The Adafruit APDS9960 Proximity, Light, RGB, and Gesture Sensor - STEMMA QT / Qwiic is a versatile multi-function sensor breakout that gives your project four useful sensing features in one small board. It can detect basic hand gestures, measure proximity, read ambient light, and capture RGB color data, making it a great fit for interactive electronics, touch-free controls, and smart sensing projects.

Instead of using separate modules for color, gesture, and distance-style sensing, this breakout combines them into one easy-to-wire I2C device. That makes it a strong option for compact builds, beginner projects, and polished prototypes where you want more features with less wiring.

Why you'll love it

• 4 sensing functions in one board: Gesture, proximity, ambient light, and RGB color sensing
• Easy I2C interface: Simple wiring for microcontrollers and SBCs
• Built-in IR emitter system: Integrated IR LED and driver help enable gesture and proximity sensing
• Directional gesture support: Great for swipe-style controls and interactive interfaces
• Configurable interrupt output: Useful for threshold-triggered events
• 3V and 5V friendly: Onboard regulator and level shifting simplify integration
• STEMMA QT / Qwiic ready: Fast no-solder I2C setup

What you can build

This breakout is ideal for touchless control panels, gesture-triggered lighting, proximity wake-up systems, color-aware sorting demos, smart home interfaces, interactive art projects, robotics sensing, and educational projects that explore multiple sensor types on a single board.

Starter bundles

Pair it with an Arduino-compatible board, Raspberry Pi, or Adafruit Feather, plus a STEMMA QT cable for quick setup and testing.

Recommended add-ons

Useful add-ons include OLED displays, RGB LEDs, QT cables, battery packs, and enclosures for creating compact interactive sensor projects.

Technical specifications

Pinout & usage notes

Since the APDS9960 uses I2C, wiring is straightforward and works well with many common microcontrollers. The breakout is especially handy when you want one sensor to handle both interactive gestures and environment-aware input like light, color, and near-object detection.

Adafruit’s library already supports the basic directional gestures, while more advanced custom motion patterns can be explored in software if your project needs more specialized interaction.

What’s in the box

1 × Adafruit APDS9960 sensor breakout
1 × header strip for soldering

Note: STEMMA QT cable is not included.

Frequently Asked Questions