Smarter than the average door (Tanaka aotomatic door)

The Tanaka automatic door opens when you stand infront of it, reminiscent of the StarTrek doors on the USS Enterprise, sensors in the slats that make up the door scan the size of the person, and opens accordingly.

The Tanaka Auto Door opens automatically when you stand in front of it. Even better, it only opens just enough to let the individual person come in.

The Auto Door consists of individual slats that slide open and closed from the side of the door. Each slat is half the width of the door; each slat has a sensor. If you stand in front of the door, the sensors determine how much of the door needs to open to allow you to enter.

You may be wondering what is so great about a door that opens only just enough to let a person come in or out; it minimizes the amount of heating or air conditioning let out of a building, as well as minimizing the entry of pollen or other pollutants from the outside.

I think this is really cool.
I wonder though, if it will catch on.

Everyone elses thoughts about it?



Source:
Technovelgy.com

That's cool. Here is the company's website

www.e-taf.co.jp...

Cool nice find, Only the japanese would create something so different I wonder if this technology will become main stream ?

when i first read it i was like woopee dont they have those at walmart just without the opening enough part. but when i went to their site, i was like whoa, that thing is sweet.

I was watching the video of it on yesterday it is pretty cool except if you are tall.
During the demo a gentelman tried to go through the door but it only opened up completely up to his neck. There is a few bugs to be worked out on it yet

how long till they get to those real star trek doors that open only if you want them to?

Well we haven't reached the future till doors take on Genuine people personalities and start saying "Thank You" each time we go through them.

From the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy:

All the doors in this spaceship have a cheerful and sunny disposition. It is their pleasure to open for you, and their satisfaction to close again with the knowledge of a job well done.”

If you haven't read them, do so now!

how long till they get to those real star trek doors that open only if you want them to?

The doors like in Star Trek could easily be built now, the only reason you dont see them, is that no one makes them generally, however I did see a show about this really expensive perrsonal yacht that had those kind if doors, and a lock for them to.

[edit on 9/10/2005 by iori_komei]

I watched that video a couple weeks ago and I was not impressed. So a bunch of slats open. They weren't even interlocking, so you'd be constantly losing or gaining heat, as opposed to only when a regular door is open. Of course, I'm assuming this is just a conceptual model, nothing like what the final product will be, IF it ever makes it as a real product.

I was thinking about it for a garage door a few days ago if they got it fast enough. For two cars, the center line would have to shift over so just one side would open for that one car. But if two cars were coming in, it'd have to shoot open full length. Of course, they could do it vertically, but then the car would run over things sticking out.

Bottom line: An interesting idea with a bunch of what-ifs and maybes. Also Japan is nuts -waves flag-

It may be all fun and games now, but just wait until your walking through and one of the bars around the lower regions goes crazy.

Hmm that's pretty cool. I was wondering why this even merited a post at ATS until I looked at the link. Before checking it out, I was thinking of doors like the sliding doors at malls or whatever, and thinking 'big freaking deal'. But that isn't what this is at all, it's something totally different.

While it is a really cool idea, I can't think of any practical use where this would be better than an ordinary automatic door, at least in its current form. In some cases, it could even be worse, like if the door senses you when you are in an awkward position, and then you don't fit through the door.

Maybe if the design were altered it could be made into a kind of 'camouflaged door' that you couldn't distinguish from the wall around it, like in harry potter when the brick wall parts to open into diagon alley. You could set it up to allow only certain people to enter, like those carrying a device similar to a garage door opener, or (yecch!) something like the verichip.

The leaps and bounds we are making in technology today never cease to amaze me. I love reading those science today mags, soo fascinating.
Great find iori_komei. !

--Kit.

Hmm gotta go with SmileyMan34. Its geek technology, sure its neat, but is it practical? Considering the technology needed to run the door is it really worth it? Personally I would want a SOLID door that opens when you enter it, not some silly slats, that may get whacked by passing arms, or fast moving objects.

It all depends on how much it costs to heat and cool your house. This would limit the amount that escapes your house. If energy prices get too high I can see some of the richer folks getting this to save some cash as well as some geeks who wanna look 'cool'