ESP32 Weather Station Alert: DIY Touchless Alarm System with Infrared Obstacle Avoidance

Last winter, right after I had finally fine‑tuned my home‑brewed ESP32 weather station, our cat discovered the temperature sensor dangled from the windowsill and treated it as a feline punching bag. Within a week the outdoor humidity reading was permanently stuck at 99%—not because of a monsoon, but because the sensor had been batted onto the muddy ground one time too many. I needed a way to know when something (or someone) got within paw‑swiping range of my weather kit, without turning the project into a tripwire‑laden fortress.