Hi,
There are LASER sensors, like in a Bosch LASER "measuring tape".
They're not that different from the Sharps, besides using a LASER instead of an LED (and having a much larger range).
I haven't seen just the sensors for sale and the entry level "tape" from Bosch is around $240..$250, but if you're fairly industrious, you might experiment with combining a Sharp and a LASER.
If you only need a short range, perhaps a baffle or two could be used to narrow down the beam, but less light will mean less range.