{"schemaVersion":1,"record":{"key":"mechanic/phone-sensors--t296","type":"mechanic","id":"phone-sensors--t296","lang":"en","title":"Light, proximity and other available sensors","summary":"An available measurement channel becomes input. Here phyphox estimates brightness through the camera and plots it alongside the scene image.","updatedAt":"2026-10-22","status":"active","url":"https://gamemechanics.pro/en/knowledge/mechanic/phone-sensors--t296/","jsonUrl":"https://gamemechanics.pro/api/v1/knowledge/en/mechanic/phone-sensors--t296.json","markdownUrl":"https://gamemechanics.pro/content/knowledge/en/mechanic/phone-sensors--t296.md","aliases":["Light, proximity and other sensors"],"tags":["Phones and built-in sensors","Mechanics and variants"],"sourceIds":["source-917b630098115bc7","source-bdbe910fe2426deb"],"sources":[{"id":"source-917b630098115bc7","title":"Android Developers: Sensors overview","url":"https://developer.android.com/develop/sensors-and-location/sensors/sensors_overview","verifiedAt":null},{"id":"source-bdbe910fe2426deb","title":"phyphox","url":"https://apps.apple.com/us/app/phyphox/id1127319693?uo=4","verifiedAt":null}],"sections":[{"id":"principle","title":"How it works","body":"An available sensor turns a nearby physical condition into game state when the device exposes an appropriate measurement."},{"id":"variants","title":"Variants","body":"### Mechanic variants\n\n<a id=\"t296-variants\"></a>\n\n- Ambient light selects a state within a stable range. <a id=\"t296-v1\"></a>\n- Proximity switches modes when a sensor is covered. <a id=\"t296-v2\"></a>\n- Threshold margins suppress boundary chatter. <a id=\"t296-v3\"></a>\n- Manual controls replace unavailable measurements. <a id=\"t296-v4\"></a>"},{"id":"example","title":"Design example","body":"A fictional sprout opens as light changes, with a slider supporting devices lacking light-sensor access.\n\nPrototype check: Test sensor and access availability in the target environment, missing-data handling and fallback without fabricated readings."},{"id":"context","title":"Context and limits","body":"Sensors provide device-dependent signals; mechanics must check channel availability and distinguish measurements, noise and missing data. Each overview separates player actions, state changes and alternative rules. Examples are hypothetical design scenarios, not claims about a named game. A prototype check states an observable question for the next iteration. Existing detailed references remain separately linked from the direction map."}],"relations":[],"placements":[{"catalogId":"phone-sensors","id":"t296","title":"Phones and built-in sensors","url":"https://gamemechanics.pro/en/mechanics/phone-sensors/#t296","categoryIds":["mechanics"]}],"supersededBy":[],"attributes":{"preview":{"updatedAt":"2026-10-22","title":"Light, proximity and other sensors","description":"An available measurement channel becomes input. Here phyphox estimates brightness through the camera and plots it alongside the scene image.","image":{"src":"images/mechanics/sensor-phyphox-2.webp","width":663,"height":1440,"crop":{"x":0,"y":171,"width":663,"height":974},"game":"phyphox","sourceUrl":"https://apps.apple.com/us/app/phyphox/id1127319693?uo=4","originalUrl":"https://is1-ssl.mzstatic.com/image/thumb/PurpleSource221/v4/cd/9b/f6/cd9bf6f7-2965-318a-ed9d-37fd0f031daa/iphone-03-camera-luminance.png/720x1560bb.jpg","credit":"RWTH Aachen University","rights":"© RWTH Aachen University. Developer-distributed App Store screenshot. All rights reserved; excluded from MIT and CC BY 4.0.","caption":"phyphox: camera-based brightness estimation, not a separate light sensor","alt":"phyphox: camera-based brightness estimation, not a separate light sensor","markers":[{"x":60,"y":20,"label":"The brightness estimate relates to the scene observed by the camera"}]},"tips":["Check the available API; a camera and a dedicated light sensor provide different data."],"examples":[{"title":"phyphox","url":"https://apps.apple.com/us/app/phyphox/id1127319693?uo=4"}]}},"endsAt":null,"provenance":"Original bilingual editorial overviews authored for gamemechanics.pro on 2026-10-20 and reviewed on 2026-10-21. Scenarios are hypothetical design examples; prototype checks describe work to perform, not completed playtests. Primary sources support the stated techniques and implementation context, not every proposed variant.","license":"CC-BY-4.0","codeLicense":"MIT","attribution":"gamemechanics.pro contributors","catalogKey":"catalog/phone-sensors"}}