Aerial vehicles with proximity sensors for safety

Abstract

An aerial vehicle or another system having moving components may be configured with a capacitive sensing system for detecting body parts of humans or other animals within proximity. The capacitive sensing system includes conductive components provided in association with surfaces of housings within which motors rotate propellers or other objects. The capacitors are coupled to circuits including transistors, resistors, capacitors or other features that are configured to determine levels of capacitance on the conductive components during operations of the aerial vehicle or other system. When a body part approaches a conductive component, and disrupts a level of capacitance on a capacitor coupled to the conductive component, a change in the level of capacitance on the capacitor is detected. Where the change exceeds a predetermined threshold, predetermined actions such as stopping or otherwise altering operations of the motors may be performed.