Super Door of the Future

romka1 writes "Japanese scientists came up with a new automatic sliding door that opens to the approximate shape of the person or object passing through, minimizing entry of dust, pollen, and bugs while keeping precious air-conditioning in. Here is a Real Demo Video"

Comments

Oh boy!

[Anonymous Coward]

A door! This is exciting!

Re:Oh boy!

[Cracell]

In other news a women from Ohio is sueing japense scientists for their automatic sliding doors insulting her by opening wider for her then anyone else.

Re:Oh boy!

[Anonymous Coward]

Windows!

Re:Oh boy!

[Cracell]

Hey I am a product of the Californian education system....

Re:Oh boy!

[Anonymous Coward]

That's no excuse.

Your "spelling" is apalling. At least spell-check your f*&%ing .sig, for crying out loud!

Re:Oh boy!

[grogdamighty]

Your spelling is "appalling."

Re:Oh boy!

[isorox]

In other news a women from Ohio

GRahh! This really annoys me when people mistake women and woman. Remember

Woman - property of a man
Women - property of men

Re:Oh boy!

[LafinJack]

I remember an old Gallagher sketch where he rolls out this door that he claims is to prevent theft. I can't find a picture of it, but it was about a foot wide, with a half circle on one side where the doorknob was placed. He demonstrated it by opening it up, squeezing through sideways, with his butt taking up the half circle. :)

Re:Oh boy!

[Anonymous Coward]

In other news a women from Ohio is sueing japense scientists for their automatic sliding doors insulting her by opening wider for her then anyone else.

"suing", "Japanese", "than". Also, while your sentence is grammatically correct (assuming that "then" is a misspelling of "than"), it is rather awkward. A better way to phrase it is along the lines of "[...] suing Japanese scientists because their automatic sliding doors insulted her by [...]".

If your reading this you must have hacked a top-secret government server....running WinNT....though that's impossible

"you're", "this, then you", "although", "impossible.". Also, ellipses are depicted by three dots, not four, and are usually set off from the surrounding text by spaces (except when terminating a sentence). Again it could be phrased somewhat better:

    If you're reading this, then you must have hacked a top-secret government server.
    Running WinNT.
    Although that's impossible.

Normally, sentence fragments are a no-no, but here, they accurately depict the way that the statement might be spoken, and so are permissible in this case. In fact, it might be better to have each sentence in its own paragraph, to emphasize the pauses:

    If you're reading this, then you must have hacked a top-secret government server.

    Running WinNT.

    Although that's impossible.

Re:Oh boy!

[indifferent children]

There are some towns in Utah where this definition breaks down. Most of the Middle East too.

Re:Oh boy!

[Anonymous Coward]

Hey I am a product of the Californian education system....

Then I demand a refund!

Re:Oh boy!

[Anonymous Coward]

In other news, it all began as a small prank just 2 weeks ago. When John and Joe Smith, 16 and 14 respectively, decided to lob a stink bomb from the window of their moving car at the outside of the grocery store from which John had been fired earlier in the day, they were amazed and pleased to find that the newly installed automatic door eagerly opened to allow the small projectile inside. As media coverage increased so did the number of similar instances across the world.

While several doors have proven too insensitive or slow to allow passage to the smaller or faster moving airborne articles, reports continue to poor in on everything from a flying shoe, to raw eggs, to mid-sized, homemade firecrackers. Businesses have begun to build fortified walls just inside their doors, creating a makeshift cow gate for patrons to navigate.

Uh-huh.

[blair1q]

So while you get maybe 2% more insulating efficiency than a regular door when it's open, you get 500% less insulating efficiency when it's closed.

A doorway with hanging vinyl slats would work far better.

Oh wait. Those have been around for 30 years.

Re:Uh-huh.

[Rakshasa Taisab]

Not to mention it uses 374.553% more energy to open than a regular sliding door.

Although hanging vinyl slats have been around for a long time, as a customer I wouldn't want to walk through those.

Re:Uh-huh.

[nuntius]

That's what traditional beaded doorways are for. Plus they look cool.

Re:Uh-huh.

[LurkerXXX]

Don't forget you also get 100+ times as many moving parts that can fail and require repair. I'll pass.

Re:Uh-huh.

[Anonymous Coward]

Added on top of this... how much electricity does these doors consume?

Re:Uh-huh.

[deglr6328]

Could be useful for extremely clean (class 1) cleanrooms where particle contamination is always an issue. With vinyl curtains, they are always open a little and have to be touched in order to move them aside to moving through. This contaminates them and they are not very easily cleaned. With a conventional door, even sliding ones, it has to be opened very wide, allowing lots of contamination to enter everytime someone uses it. This would be an elegant solution to both problems. I think it is a mistake however, to make each slat have its own detector. It should instead use a simple, single, (low power) scanning laser a foot or two before the door to quickly characterize the size and shape of the person about to pass through.

Re:Uh-huh.

[Fishead]

Ha ha ha, typical technician response.

I remember a salesman trying to talk me into a Nissan Murano by telling me that there is a seperate computer controling the torque and brakeing for each tire. Greeeeaaaaattt, just what I want, instead of a blue screen of death I get a firey scream of death?

Re:Uh-huh.

[ultranova]

Could be useful for extremely clean (class 1) cleanrooms where particle contamination is always an issue. With vinyl curtains, they are always open a little and have to be touched in order to move them aside to moving through. This contaminates them and they are not very easily cleaned. With a conventional door, even sliding ones, it has to be opened very wide, allowing lots of contamination to enter everytime someone uses it. This would be an elegant solution to both problems.

No. The elegant solution to the "always open a little" problem is to have the air exchange system to put a small overpressure into the room, making any leaks blow dust outward, not inward - of course you need to clean replacement air, but you'd need to do that anyway.

The touching problem is not a problem - if someone contaminates the vinyl on their way in, then he will contaminate everything else on the room anyway, and if someone contaminates vinyl on their way out, the contamination of the room already happened.

If you're worried about the particles escaping the room (it's a bioweapon lab, for example), just make the next chamber have an underpressure, and suck the particles into filters.

Re:Uh-huh.

[Jeff DeMaagd]

A doorway with hanging vinyl slats would work far better.

But hanging vinyl slats are ugly and this is cool. It is easy to make a conjecture that this new thing has a lot more gaps, but without seeing the implementation, cannot be sure. Possibly less hygenic as the slats are touching everyone and everything that walks through, not to mention that I've never seen them clean or cleaned.

No thanks.

Re:Uh-huh.

[doxology]

Yeah, but what if someone extends their arms out or something. They wouldn't fit through the door.

Re:Uh-huh.

[yincrash]

"oh cool this door only opened enough for me" "OW! my knee!"

Re:Uh-huh.

[morcheeba]

I'll second what ultranova said - that positive pressure ventilation keeps the dust out. It's even used in instruments inside clean rooms - after probing wafers, we put them inside a small case (1 foot x 1 foot x 4 feet tall) that is even cleaner than the room (already a class 100 room - everyone in bunny suits, but no breathing apparatus)

But, mostly, entrance and exit are done with a double-door system. Open the first door, step in, close it. Then the timers activate the blowers and dust is removed from your suit. Then the inner door unlocks and you go in, freshly dusted off. There is an interlock that prevents both doors from opening at the same time.

Re:Uh-huh.

[crazyvas]

2% more insulating efficiency than a regular door when it's open, you get 500% less insulating efficiency when it's closed.
Actually, thats probably not true. To me, it looks like the the strips are placed very close to each other and slide on top of each other. The color of the border of the strips makes it look like there's a gap between the strips, while in actuality, there's probably no gap. This would make it just as efficient as a regular door when closed.

Re:Uh-huh.

[ForestGrump]

Do the computers communicate? else you're really screwed. I'll stick to my traditional brake system (no ABS/stability control/brake assist, etc)

Re:Uh-huh.

[RapmasterT]

So while you get maybe 2% more insulating efficiency than a regular door when it's open, you get 500% less insulating efficiency when it's closed.

what does 500% less mean? 1/5? You can't have more than 100% less of something because by definition there's only 100% of it to begin with.

Re:Uh-huh.

[spectre_240sx]

Don't know if you saw the video or not, but it didn't look to me like it was working very well in the first place. I'd hate to see it fail.

Re:Uh-huh.

[plover]

Ever actually used ABS? Ever been in a situation where it made the difference between frightening someone and ramming them? Don't be too quick to dismiss it. Unless you're on the oval in a car you've set up for racing, ABS is a huge win.

It's not even close to the difference between a "good driver" and a "bad driver". ABS pumps the brakes roughly 4-5 times per second, far faster than the spring in my brake pedal is capable of even returning the pedal. Yes, it reduces steering ability during heavy braking maneuvers, preferring to stop the car in a straight line, but the trade off is a 40%+ shorter stopping distance.

And it fails safe. If your ABS goes out, you still have full manual authority over your brakes.

Re:Uh-huh.

[kilodelta]

The Nissan Murano is remarkable for the fact that's it's the first widely produced and popular passenger vehicle with a CVT. Yes, I know, Subaru offered it on the Justy but that was a piece of crap car.

That separate computer is an embedded system and isn't likely to blue screen. He was just using fancy talk for the ABS system thats standard on most vehicles these days.

However, that isn't to say embedded systems are always error free. Buddy of mine had a Ford Expedition with the 4.6 liter engine. Thing used to stall when taking corners. Turns out it was a firmware error - the fuel injectors would stay open a few too microseconds and starve the engine of fuel.

The problem was that in order to fix the problem, Ford would have to make the change to the embedded controller, then submit 100 cubic feet or so of exhaust gas for EPA testing to recertify the engine computer.

They took back his 4.6L and gave him a new one with the 5.4L engine that didn't have the problem.

Re:Uh-huh.

[EtherealStrife]

AH! But non-abs allows you to floor the brake pedal completely, and non-abs equipped cars stop sooner than abs (in 'normal' weather/driving conditions). The abs benefit is the ability to TURN while braking, *NOT* stopping distance. I think you got that switched around. :) abs allows you to avoid obstactles while still braking, but if you're not in a situation where the obstacle CAN be avoided then abs is actually hurting you. The exception is if you live in an icey region, where abs *does* improves traction (and therefore stopping distance), but everywhere else I'd elect to go without abs.

The main monetary advantage is even wear on your tires, but I'd rather blow a few hundred dollars to replace bald tires than thousands in increased insurance costs for not stopping soon enough.

And for those of you questioning my sources, it comes to you from a AAA test driver / mechanic I discussed this with back when I worked in a local garage. Even pro-abs sites (such as ABS-Education, which is funded by abs manufacturers) emphasize the turning ability over the stopping distance.

Re:Uh-huh.

[Anonymous Coward]

"It should instead use a simple, single, (low power) scanning laser a foot or two before the door to quickly characterize the size and shape of the person about to pass through."

I can just see little kids or wise guys side-stepping, jumping, etc., six inches from the door, just to see if they can lacerate themselves on the sharp door edges, and you know that the door edges will be really, really sharp. Otherwise, what's the point? (Get it? "point"? "sharp"? ... Sigh. Never mind.)

I think that this kind of door would be really cool to have on a car, though. Why? I don't know.

Oo-oo! Oo-oo! ANd can you image doors like this on the Space SHuttle??? Neither can I.

Re:Uh-huh.

[ch3]

Although you are true (ABS lengthten stopping distance and allows turning while braking), very few people are able to brake correctly (i.e. push hard just below sliding point and releasing while speed decrease) in stressful situations.

So, for anybody but really good drivers, ABS is a real win if they are at least told to press the brake as hard as they can when there is danger (that why my last two cars assists me when they sense an emergency braking)

Of course, the ability to turn while braking must be used to avoid obstacles but again, for casual driver, it is quite hard to do because it mean looking where you want to go and not where you don't want (i.e. the obstacle).

Unfortunately, this is not amongst the skills tested when passing your driving licence (at least here in belgium)

Re:Uh-huh.

[AK Marc]

It's not even close to the difference between a "good driver" and a "bad driver". ABS pumps the brakes roughly 4-5 times per second, far faster than the spring in my brake pedal is capable of even returning the pedal.

Yes, and you get cool things like near complete brake failure in some circumstances because designers didn't think of them. Take the VW Golf. It tends to lift the inside rear wheel under cornerning while braking. The first systems put on them were 3-chanel, like most early systems. This would treat both rear tires as a single unit. So, what happens when you brake hard in a turn and the rear tire lifts? Why you get as little braking power on the rear wheel that is in contact with the ground as the system will allow. If you had regular brakes, you'd have much better braking capabilities. Also, once ABS kicks in, it remains on for a while past when it is needed and it is activated on all 4 wheels when it is needed only one one or two.

So what does that mean? It means that I've rolled out into traffic because I hit a pot hole and the ABS kicked in and left me with little braking power for the next 100 feet. The next time it did that on the same pothole, I was ready with the hand-brake. The wimpy hand brake that only activated the rear brakes in a poor manner was much more powerful than putting the regular pedal to the floor. Also, the quickest way to stop on many types of snow and almost all deformable surfaces (sand, gravel, and such) is to lock the brakes. This option is removed with ABS. Split mu surfaces are usually handled poorly with ABS. Sure, you are pointed in the correct direction when you stop, but you will almost always stop more quickly by just locking the tires. Of course, expert braking will beat ABS in nealy every situation.

Why is "pumping" a good thing? It means that for every pump, you are necessarily under braking and over braking at some point. Why not just brake at the correct level?

if you read all the claims for ABS from makers and such, they don't ever claim "better braking." They claim "better stability" or something like that. They do it for two reasons. First, the don't want the liability. Second, they know that the system can't guarentee shorter distances, and will take longer in many circumstances. Yes, ABS is getting better, but that doesn't mean that it is better than a well trained foot yet.

Re:Uh-huh.

[ForestGrump]

Don't get me wrong. I'm not one that advocates that *all safety features* be removed from cars. I simply prefer to drive a vehicle not equiped with them. Personally, there have been times when I've driven in the snow and I've thought "I wish I had TCS/ABS, or even an LSD."

But for the most part, 99% of my driving takes place on dry pavement, with the occasional rain/sprinkler overspray. I enjoy being in full control of the vehicle at all times. It's why I drive a manual tranny and not a slushbox. I also enjoy being able to lock the wheels on demand, and not having ABS kicking in to ruin my fun.

Now, why ABS can really screw things up for the general public. Alot of "near hits" when the person is able to smack the pedal, ABS kicks in and they are able to stear around the obstacle.

However, they think "oh my god i made it around the obstacle" and they don't realize they're driving on the shoulder, or even worse off the road and headed toward a cliff or something.

So in such a situation, it *may* be actually better to hit the obstacle instead of flying off a cliff. But the best solution to this problem is to educate everyone on how to handle a vehicle, not just the basics of road manerisms.

Yea, something they dont tell you as the pitfall of ABS.

Re:Uh-huh.

[cameldrv]

The Honda Civic HX had a CVT for a number of years.

Re:Uh-huh.

[fbjon]

What the hell are you talking about? The brake distance becomes shorter because locking the wheels is inefficient braking. The ABS prevents the wheels from locking, and thus increases braking power, except on soft roads, or if you have an inefficient system. If you need efficient braking on a soft road (like gravel), you are driving too fast in the first place. And if you want to lock your wheels on a snow/ice road, you are suicidal.

Do you think an average person, or indeed, a more-than-average person can outperform ABS brakes in terms of lives saved? Do you know how unlikely that is? Remember that maximum safety is a probability, learn to live with it. That's what I learned in driving school: how braking works with it on, with it off, and why it won't save the driver from his own stupidity.

Re:Uh-huh.

[fbjon]

How many well trained feet can you find? Feet that have actually gotten a lot of braking training?

Re:Uh-huh.

[fbjon]

There is an interlock that prevents both doors from opening at the same time.

I can sense a horror movie happening...

Re:Uh-huh.

[lauwersw]

Most people haven't got a clue about computers or cars. Most people don't have the expert braking skills you need without ABS. ABS is in an improvement for most people in most situations, but of course an expert driver can do better with normal brakes in allmost all situations. More cars are sold to "normal" drivers than to experts. Follow the money!

Re:Uh-huh.

[jonadab]

> But for the most part, 99% of my driving takes place on dry pavement
> However, they ... don't realize they're driving on the shoulder, or
> even worse off the road and headed toward a cliff or something.

So, let me get this straight... Driving on snow is very unusual, but driving right next to cliffs is something you do on a regular basis? Where is it exactly that you are you driving, southern Jordan near Petra?

Sheesh.

Re:Uh-huh.

[jonadab]

> if you want to lock your wheels on a snow/ice road, you are suicidal

No, no, no, not on the *road*. You do that in a corporate (or factory) parking lot, on Saturday mornings when the place is closed and there are no cars parked there. Mmmmm.... doughnuts!

Re:Uh-huh.

[jonadab]

> if you read all the claims for ABS from makers and such, they don't ever
> claim "better braking." They claim "better stability" or something like
> that. They do it for two reasons. First, the don't want the liability.
> Second, they know that the system can't guarentee shorter distances, and
> will take longer in many circumstances. Yes, ABS is getting better, but
> that doesn't mean that it is better than a well trained foot yet.

Yeah, but a well-trained foot fails badly in a crisis situation if e.g. the driver panics. ABS gives the same mediocre performance almost no matter what (provided you actually get the pedal pushed), so it fails better.

On the whole, it is preferable to rely on a system that underperforms in the best case but fails well, as opposed to a system that performs well in the best case but fails poorly. (Granted, what can be even better is to set things up so that the mediocre system that fails well is a fallback that kicks in when the good system fails. I'm not sure how that could be done reliably in this case, though, and if it's done unreliably, i.e., if the fallback mechanism fails poorly, you can get the worst of both worlds, which is bad.)

Re:Uh-huh.

[Gojira Shipi-Taro]

Remember though, you'll have to rip the cell phone out of that soccer mom's banshee-grip before you can educate her how to handle a vehicle.

You're giveing the general populace far too much credit there, Forrest ;)

I would like to see Manual Transmission made manditory though. Would cull some of the most idiotic of the idiots from the road.

Re:Uh-huh.

[plover]

Why is "pumping" a good thing? It means that for every pump, you are necessarily under braking and over braking at some point. Why not just brake at the correct level?

I'm guessing you live someplace that doesn't see a lot of snow or ice on the roads. Here in Minnesota there is no single correct level of braking. Winter road conditions are very dynamic -- a thin layer of snow can be covering asphalt one second, frost the next, dry pavement for a stretch and pure ice after that. Or the left side of the vehicle can be riding a layer of packed ice while the right is getting some traction on a cleared rut in the pavement. When the temperature dips below -10 F, water from exhaust gases will cause a nearly invisible layer of ice to form on freeways (especially on bridge decks and exit ramps), a phenomenon we call 'black ice'. And it's common to encounter slick compacted snow right before a stop sign or traffic light where hundreds of previous drivers have locked up their brakes, polishing the snow to a skating rink quality ice.

Most of the time, braking in these low traction situations is accomplished by feathering the brakes -- applying them as lightly as possible in an attempt to not lock the wheels. But sometimes they lock anyway, and when they do, the remedy is to release the brakes completely and then reapply them. Pumping is a true last-ditch effort when feathering fails.

ABS greatly improves winter braking in three ways: the sensors can detect locked wheels and respond almost as quickly as a professional human driver trained on low-traction surfaces (we have some really cool winter driving schools up here!); ABS systems don't panic; and with advanced ABS systems, if only one or two wheels have locked up the brakes on those wheels will be pumped while the others continue to slow the vehicle.

ABS systems aren't an absolute cure-all, and I'm sure they encounter certain situations where they don't help much (or even hinder control, as you mentioned.) But ABS systems are ready 100% of the time. They don't require "retraining" every year when winter rolls around. And ABS systems also help our visitors from Texas to not slide through Minnesota stop signs or red lights.

Finally, given that only 50% of the people on the road are above average drivers anyway, putting ABS on the rest of their cars means fewer of them are likely to hit me :-)

Re:Uh-huh.

[plover]

Why is "pumping" a good thing? It means that for every pump, you are necessarily under braking and over braking at some point. Why not just brake at the correct level?

I'm guessing you live someplace that doesn't see a lot of snow or ice on the roads. Here in Minnesota there is no single correct level of braking. Winter road conditions are very dynamic -- a thin layer of snow can be covering asphalt one second, frost the next, dry pavement for a stretch and pure ice after that. Or the left side of the vehicle can be riding a layer of packed ice while the right is getting some traction on a cleared rut in the pavement. When the temperature dips below -10 F, water from exhaust gases will cause a nearly invisible layer of ice to form on freeways (especially on bridge decks and exit ramps), a phenomenon we call 'black ice'. And it's common to encounter slick compacted snow right before a stop sign or traffic light where hundreds of previous drivers have locked up their brakes, polishing the snow to a skating rink quality ice.

Most of the time, braking in these low traction situations is accomplished by feathering the brakes -- applying them as lightly as possible in an attempt to not lock the wheels. But sometimes they lock anyway, and when they do, the remedy is to release the brakes completely and then reapply them. Pumping is a true last-ditch effort when feathering fails.

ABS greatly improves winter braking in three ways: the sensors can detect locked wheels and respond almost as quickly as a professional human driver trained on low-traction surfaces (we have some really cool winter driving schools up here!); ABS systems don't panic; and with advanced ABS systems, if only one or two wheels have locked up the brakes on those wheels will be pumped while the others continue to slow the vehicle.

ABS systems aren't an absolute cure-all, and I'm sure they encounter certain situations where they don't help much (or even hinder control, as you mentioned.) But ABS systems are ready 100% of the time. They don't require "retraining" every year when winter rolls around. And ABS systems also help our visitors from Texas to not slide through Minnesota stop signs or red lights.

Finally, given that only 50% of the people on the road are above average drivers anyway, putting ABS on the rest of their cars means fewer of them are likely to hit me :-)

Re:Uh-huh.

[Anonymous Coward]

ABS just allows people who should be more careful to get out of bad situations and believe they are a better driver than they are. And when you don't know if the abs goes out and try to drive like normal, hey look, it didn't work as well.

Re:Uh-huh.

[blair1q]

Much of California drives right next to cliffs every day. Some of them die from it.

Re:Uh-huh.

[Anonymous Coward]

Yes Einstein. That is why they banned ABS from Formula 1, to allow the better drivers to do the breaking.

Give me a break man. ABS is virtually ALWAYS an improvement over non-ABS, especially on good contact roads. You hammer the non-ABS breaks too hard on dry pavement, your tires start to slide and your stopping distance increases *significantly*.

The only way ABS will increase your stopping distance over non-ABS on dry pavement is that you either have a crap ABS, or your breaks are shit. Like being too small for the car/speed you are traveling at. Most cars, if you go 100mph and try to stop immediatelly will cause the breaks to overheat => long stopping distance. Better breaks => better stopping distance. The reason for overheating from ABS breakes is because the system will work the breaks harder than a person. A person will let go of the breaks when the car starts to slide. Also when the sheels lock the breaks are non-rotating => no friction heating on brakes => cooling of breaks.

Re:Uh-huh.

[jonadab]

> Much of California drives right next to cliffs every day.
> Some of them die from it.

Umm, Don't Do That Then.

Re:Uh-huh.

[EtherealStrife]

Again with the damned wiki quotes. I admit, it's a great source of information, but it's all public input with very little moderation (or rather, very *slow* moderation). The article did hit the curb weight issue on the head of the nail, however. There's a reason why many compact cars are equipped with only two disk brakes, and no abs. With one of these boats on wheels (aka SUVs), ABS is necessary because of the incredible force being exerted on the tires when the wheels are 'static'.
The primary benefits for abs over non-abs kick in when that static friction is lost (with non-abs), and for light cars that takes considerably longer than SUVs and large trucks (where the momentum is enough to almost instantly cancel out any static friction between rubber tires and road surface).
If a lighter car (such as my own 2300-2400 lb '99 Corolla) is equipped with abs there is significant loss in braking power when the brake is NOT engaged (ie when the abs is releasing to allow disk brakes to momentarily cool, and for the wheel to rotate). This loss is not completely covered by the added friction (and braking power, as a result) when abs IS engaged.
For one of these 4000-5000 lb monstrosities (or more), you WOULD have to be an expert to keep pace with the abs, and even the abs is far from the optimum engage/disengage rate. As the soccer moms keep demanding larger and larger gas guzzlers, the antilock brake industry is hard pressed to keep pace.

On something of a side note, BMW has recently utilized some incredible breakthroughs in the technology, which led them to the Multiple-Brake-Light-Intensity 'warning system' on their vehicles, to warn following cars that the BMW is braking rapidly and to hopefully avoid being rearended. If I remember correctly the initial cost was somewhere in the whereabouts of $10k per brake, however, so just keep an eye out for the higher end beemers. :)

Re:Uh-huh.

[bluesnowmonkey]

Good idea, I'll put that to use right away. See, I work for a defense contractor and we're actually building a bioweapons lab. We weren't sure how to construct the door though, so my boss told me to go check Slashdot for ideas.

That overpressure thing, pure genius. Never would have thought of that.

Re:Uh-huh.

[default luser]

Why is "pumping" a good thing? It means that for every pump, you are necessarily under braking and over braking at some point. Why not just brake at the correct level?

Because it averages out to the same thing, or as close as the sample rate of the system can manage. Engineers refer to this as "duty cycle".

I find it very funny that you're lambasting cheaper, early-generation ABS systems when it's readily apparent in your own words that they have potential. Look at higher-end braking systems available today, they offer independent 4-wheel ABS control to maximize the benefits of having ABS on the vehicle.

And I do wish you wouldn't bash ABS just because the designers of your particular system were retards. So your car leaves ABS on for 100 feet...that's pathetic. My crappy Saturn with a cheap-ass ABS system cuts out after a second or less of getting traction back from your typical "braking while going over a big pothole" situation. Even better, they provide a handy button to turn ABS off.

I would imagine that later generations of ABS systems will be even more responsive...and of course, like most electronics, the benefits high-end systems enjoy today will mostly trickle down to the low-end stuff.

Every new saftey invention has growing pains...early lap-only seatbelts weren't very effective. Early airbags killed many people they could have saved by releasing too quickly, and are still dangerous to children. ABS is newer than both of these technologies, and you expect it to be perfect? Give it time.

And if you don't want ABS standard on your car, why the FUCK did you buy a Volkswagen?

Re:Uh-huh.

[plusaf]

yeah, right. ABS is NOT waiting for the brake disk to cool. it's waiting for the wheel to regain static friction with the ground. the maximum braking effect is JUST BEFORE the tire begins to slide. [physics 101]. unfortunately, unlike a human being who might be able to, via experience, keep those tires JUST at the edge of skid, and thus minimize stopping distance, the ABS has to do the best it can, which is to release the brake pressure when it senses that one or more wheels are spinning slower than the others [which indicates that that tire is skidding.] and if you slam on your non-ABS brakes and lock all four wheels, i will personally guarantee that your stopping distance on ANY surface other than velcro or glue will be longer than if you let the ABS do its thing. and car size is pretty irrelevant. if you lock the wheels on a 1100-pound race car, it won't stop faster than if it had ABS. likewise your super-sized Caddy SUV.

Seems to be working real well..? Or not.

[Henriok]

OK.. seen the video and this things seems to be working a lot worse than I thought it would. Really, people are going to be hurt using this!

Really.. are we having that much problems with doors?

Re:Seems to be working real well..? Or not.

[Anonymous Coward]

You're right, it really doesn't seem to work well at all. It's like an alpha version, needs a lot more work...

Re:Seems to be working real well..? Or not.

[Anonymous Coward]

this is about inovation and ideas.
it doesnt matter that this is a piece of crap, its a building block.
its sad you dont see more of this in america anymore.

Re:Seems to be working real well..? Or not.

[Man in Spandex]

Dude, its Japan.

They got Toilets with heated seats probably playing AM/FM radio while spraying hot water on your ass.

Re:Seems to be working real well..? Or not.

[Secrity]

It appears to be in alpha or beta and probably could be made to work better. It appears that the slats are easily slid open if they malfunction.

Re:Seems to be working real well..? Or not.

[uits]

"probably playing AM/FM radio"
Dude, its Japan.

They are streaming *.ogg over cell phone networks to serenade your sprayed ass.

Re:Seems to be working real well..? Or not.

[Nogami_Saeko]

You can see the IR sensors on the end of each slat - it's not a terribly elegant system - a better idea would be to mount a video camera directly behind the door (on either side) and have it generate a mask of the person's outline against the door, then pick the proper distribution of slats to open based on that mask.

It would likely still be very cheap (a lowres webcam-quality camera would be able to do this), and wouldn't have the detection issues this model has.

Of course, I always thought that revolving doorways were a pretty decent way of keeping air-transfer minimal instead of a doorway being held wide-open.

Dave

Re:Seems to be working real well..? Or not.

[Anonymous Coward]

Not only that, it's like: what were they even saying in that video? I think they were just talking jibberish.

Re:Seems to be working real well..? Or not.

[TheoMurpse]

They are streaming *.ogg over cell phone networks to serenade your sprayed ass.
Dude, it's Japan.

The toilets are mechanized to comb and part your asshair properly for maximum grippage of your tighty whities to your cheeks.

Re:Seems to be working real well..? Or not.

[Anonymous Coward]

"They are streaming *.ogg over cell phone networks to serenade your sprayed ass."
Dude, it's Japan.

They've got streaming MPEG4 video while the toilet sprays, then wipes your ass.

Re:Seems to be working real well..? Or not.

[sryx]

They got Toilets with heated seats probably playing AM/FM radio while spraying hot water on your ass.
Are you sure you weren't just taking a dump in some restaurant's kitchen sink? It seems to fit all the criteria :P
-Jason

Re:Seems to be working real well..? Or not.

[dabigpaybackski]

Radio? Try hentai. And you can probably order a model with tentacles.

Re:Seems to be working real well..? Or not.

[kklein]

I have one of those in my bathroom. Don't knock it till you've tried it.

My brother was over here (Japan) for the first time last week. He got home and started looking at them in the US. So did my mother. They are awesome. Why scrape away at your sensitive anus when you can just do the big cleanup with paper and let a calming jet of warm water get the tough parts? You are cleaner and far more comfortable.

That is, of course, unless you like walking around with a shit-encrusted arsehole all the time, you fucking sicko.

Re:Seems to be working real well..? Or not.

[Anonymous Coward]

Hmmmm...hot wet Japanese ass....

Sorry, got lost there for a second...

Re:Seems to be working real well..? Or not.

[subStance]

Yes it's Japan, and that makes it doubly weird, since after the death of young kid here in a revolving door accident about 3 years ago (I think), every single revolving door throughout Tokyo - and I mean *all* of them - has been put out of service.

I don't understand why they would be experimenting with this kind of technology, but too squeamish to put the revolving doors back in (that incidently cost way too much to leave sitting idle). Really weird.

Re:Seems to be working real well..? Or not.

[Anonymous Coward]

i hate revolving doors, they should've never been invented

Re:Seems to be working real well..? Or not.

[Anonymous Coward]

A friend of mine spent a couple of years with a Finnish company building logwood saunas in Japan.

They loved the saunas big time, but every single one of them had to have steam-proof karaoke gear integrated into it.

My friend was flabbergasted. A "cross-kitchen" thingie, I guess...

Re:Seems to be working real well..? Or not.

[fbjon]

That's interesting, how did the accident happen? All revolving doors I've encountered stop automatically when is detected in a bad place.

Re:Seems to be working real well..? Or not.

[jandrese]

It was probably defective. Apparently there had been numerous (32 according to some counts) injuries by the same door but the building owner didn't have it looked at. Apparently there is a law now in Japan mandating a maximum speed of 65cm/second for large revolving doors.

Re:Seems to be working real well..? Or not.

[fbjon]

That's still pretty fast actually. What was it before? 1 m/s, or even more? My god what a chopper 2 m/s would be.

Re:Seems to be working real well..? Or not.

[PipsqueakOnAP133]

They are streaming *.ogg over cell phone networks to serenade your sprayed ass.

ogg? what's ogg? A really bad mispelling of ATRAC?

The girl in the video is cute

[Anonymous Coward]

I don't know about the door, but I will buy it if I girl is included in the package.

Re:The girl in the video is cute

[Anonymous Coward]

> I don't know about the door, but I will buy it if I girl is included in the package.

iGirl? What's that? Some new Apple thing? Sign me up!

Re: The girl in the video is cute

[Anonymous Coward]

I don't know about the door, but I will buy it if I girl is included in the package.

She's the new Bond girl, you know - but just wait and see what happens in the next scene, when archvillain Baron Shredder gets the remote control and makes this door his favorite toy...

Re:The girl in the video is cute

[klept]

I am that girl from Japan in the ad, and I dont think you are at all funny. What do you think we are selling, the door or me? No, wait, dont answer that. A woman with a six inch tounge can kill a man six feet tall- real Japanese proverb.

Re:The girl in the video is cute

[andyt]

A woman with a six inch tounge can kill a man six feet tall- real Japanese proverb.

Is this another hentai thing? Japanese people are weird.

Re:The girl in the video is cute

[MidnightBrewer]

Would be more plausible if the Japanese used inches and feet, don't you think?

Re:The girl in the video is cute

[Anonymous Coward]

Well never be sure if you really are that girl, but Id marry her right now.

Re:The girl in the video is cute

[Anonymous Coward]

Here you go.

Re:The girl in the video is cute

[cybpunks3]

Those types of comments belong on Engadget.

Re:The girl in the video is cute

[klept]

MidnightBrewer is your name, huh? I think you've had too many beers. That is the literal translation of the proverb, and it makes plenty of sense if you are from Asia. Or for that matter, even if you are not from Asia. Come on man, it's like the I Ching, full of metaphor and wisdom, like that girl in the ad. And yes, I know the I Ching is Chinese.

Re:The girl in the video is cute

[MidnightBrewer]

MidnightBrewer as in somebody who makes coffee at midnight. Anyway, since I've been living in Japan for several years, I'm in a unique position to test the validity of Japanese kotowaza, or proverbs.

Re:The girl in the video is cute

[klept]

So you lived in Japan for several years, and that makes you an expert on the Japanese. Oh, excuse me. I could go into my background also, but quite frankly that is not relevant about who is correct. So MidnightBrewer has to do about drinking coffee, not beer. That's your definetion of a name you made up. The common definetion of brewer is someone who makes beer. But then I guess everyone is suppose to think like you, right? And what the hell does "would be more plausable if in inches and feet, dont you think" mean? Said this before on /. and will say it again. I am not Harry Cohen watching the Lady from Shaghai, and I will not pay anyone $10k to explain it to me. But if anyone besides you knows what you wrote, they are a smarter person than me Gunga Din. And I still think you drank too many beers.

Re:The girl in the video is cute

[MidnightBrewer]

Good for you. Anyway, I *live* in Japan, so have a rather large pool of people I can check with on that proverb. The only talent required was being able to ask a simple question.

Re:The girl in the video is cute

[klept]

Huh? You're still not making much sense. Do you or your "people you know in Japan" experts know anything about this proverb or not? All you seem to be doing is talking about yourself. Now I am sure that is very interesting to you, but it would be nice if you stuck to the relavant topic of conversation. Before you answer next time, try not drinking any beer for a couple of hours. Oh, and please give my regards to the Mikado.

Re:The girl in the video is cute

[MidnightBrewer]

I'm not sure how much clearer I can express it, but I'll give it one more go, for your sake. There is no such expression in Japanese. We do agree on one point, though: let's stick to the topic at hand and stop this pointless thread.

Re:The girl in the video is cute

[klept]

The answer to how much clearer you could express this, is that you should have wrote this in the beginning, and not been so elliptical. Then I would have been appreciative and thankful. Assume agreeing "on one point" means not talking about you, and if the answer is yes, then I heartily agree. Sorry, but you are kind of nebulous about what you mean about this "point". Well you and your friends could be right, and then again maybe not. My source is a book of quotations published in the USA in the 1930s or 1940s. They could be wrong, but then how sure are you? "Precision in language facilitates clear thinking". It also prevents misunderstandings. Of course your previous posts I didnt misunderstand. I just couldnt figure out what the hell you were talking about.The quote incidentally is from Readers Digest, by one of the Funk brothers. If you want to keep the discussion on a friendly level, next time dont be supercilious.

Re:The girl in the video is cute

[MidnightBrewer]

Sorry, but I thought that my original comment was neither rude nor indirect. Upon further review, I suppose it could be seen as rude, since it is rather terse. I apologize for that and will keep it in mind for future commenting.

As for keeping things friendly, you need some give and take, you know? You immediately started by making fun of my nickname (coming from somebody named "klept;" sorry, but the only thing that comes to mind is "kleptomaniac," so you've got me beat there.) You also continually mocked me by insinuating that I'd been drinking. If you were interested in having a friendly discussion, you could have simply asked for clarification. Going back, it looks like a discussion between two people who didn't know each other and weren't doing a very good job expressing themselves.

  Just to clarify, the Japanese do not use the English imperial system of measurement, but use metric instead. Before that, they used "kanejaku", which they still use today, for example, in room measurements (I had to buy my A/C based on how many jo, or tatami mats of area it could cool.) That makes a literal translation of such a proverb doubtful. As for the people I asked, they were native teachers of Japanese, and very good at what they do (you'd hope.)

I've been collecting proverbs as I study Japanese, as they have some really amazingly colorful ones ("In three days you can tire of a beautiful woman and get used to an ugly one.") One of their most interesting idioms is "like piss in a frog's face" as a counterpart to the western "like water off a duck."

I'll keep searching for the one you've mentioned, as I wouldn't put it past the Japanese to not have something in a similar vein. They have a dangerous sense of humor sometimes. Anyway, I will work on trying to not sound like such an arrogant hard-ass in future conversations.

Re:The girl in the video is cute

[klept]

Hey, I apologize also. As La Rouchfacauh said, "Quarrels would seldom last long if the wrong were only on one side.". You're not the first that has said the same thing about Klept. He was a Greek revolutionary hero from the 1800s. Appreciate the info on Japanese proverbs. Thanks. Good luck in finding the quote I gave. Being that the translation is from the 1930s or 40s, it may have been very adulterated. Not sure how serious they were about Asian studies back then. See you on Slashdot. :)

The command to open it:

[XanC]

"Shh!"

Re:The command to open it:

[The Patient]

I don't care WHO y'are. That's FUNNY.

Bill Shatner

Re:The command to open it:

[Ztream]

I'm pretty sure it's "Merron".

Re:The command to open it:

[andreMA]

"Shh!"

What, not "Open Sesame"?

Re:The command to open it:

[mikiN]

"Open Source!"

Re:The command to open it:

[CptNerd]

"Meet me on the bridge."

"We don't have a bridge, sir."

"No bridge?"

"No, sir."

"Why aren't I notified about these things?!?!"

Not quite ready yet..

[LilWolf]

I liked how some of the parts didn't open like they were supposed to on the video. Some development still to be made.

Re:Not quite ready yet..

[nkh]

Don't forget: the noise, the long time for the door to open and the holes even when it's closed. The parts of this door seem to be duck-taped together, I expected something really better from Japan :(

Re:Not quite ready yet..

[v1]

Near the end that guy tries to go through and if he'd have kept walking forward he'd have clippped his head on the set of panels on the left that never moved. Even when he waved his hand in front of the panels, it took several tries before they would move.

There's also a time issue. Unless you are walking at a reasonably slow pace, you're going to have to slow down or stop for the door to open. Most automatic doors at grocery stores react much faster than that.

Also, the door is not clear, you cannot see the other guy walking toward the other side of the door. *WHAM* That'd hurt.

Finally, the slats slide left and right, so for a 3.5 ft wide door it requires an additional 2ft of space inside the jamb on the left and right side for the slats to retreat into. There's no way to put two of these doors right next to eachother, they'd have to be at least 4 ft apart.

Too many problems with this design. Looks like something you'd see at one of those "house of the future" exhibits where they show a lot of neat things that if you were to actually try to use them, would be much less practical than what we are already using.

Re:Not quite ready yet..

[soft_guy]

Finally, the slats slide left and right, so for a 3.5 ft wide door it requires an additional 2ft of space inside the jamb on the left and right side for the slats to retreat into. There's no way to put two of these doors right next to eachother, they'd have to be at least 4 ft apart.

You could solve that problem if the slats were telescopic (i.e. multiple segments that fold out like a radio antennae.)

Re:Not quite ready yet..

[v1]

Considering how long the door stays open after the person walks through, I seriously wonder how much that would help for say, maintaining AC or heating in the winter.

Considering the complexity of the door, I think a Star Trek style split parting door would be a whole lot easier to make and cheaper to build, and have most of the benefits this door claims.

Re:Not quite ready yet..

[megaversal]

In Japan, doors tend to open slower, with you having to be closer to them. It's annoying, and I'm always so close to hitting my face on the door before remembering US doors are faster, but I think it tries to make it feel more like a "real" door (you standing there and sliding it open, whether you're physically doing it or not).

What about real sized people?

[FluffyWithTeeth]

Of course, the maximum size of the doors is about 5'6"....

Re:What about real sized people?

[Anonymous Coward]

A door that my wife can fit through but not me? Perfect!

Re:What about real sized people?

[BLAG-blast]

What, you mean people from the mid-west who are over 400lb?

Re:What about real sized people?

[BoomerSooner]

you can be 400lbs and still be 5'6"

Re:What about real sized people?

[Anonymous Coward]

5' 6" people are real sized too, you insensitive clod!

Re:What about real sized people?

[Anonymous Coward]

wide

Re:What about real sized people?

[mikael]

Of course, the maximum size of the doors is about 5'6"....

Is that width or height?

Re:What about real sized people?

[Anonymous Coward]

They'll have to limbo their way through the door.

hmmm.. I dunno..

[peculiarmethod]

What about someone carrying a glass panel?

guess you could turn sideways..

will it recognize my imaginary friend walking beside me? I'd hate for my children to go insane cause they saw their uncle bobbins refused entry.

Re:hmmm.. I dunno..

[cnerd2025]

Haha. I also like how the door aparently pulls your boxes in for you...

Re:hmmm.. I dunno..

[superpulpsicle]

In other news the Super Door will address "someone carrying a glass panel" with the new firmware downloads.

Re:hmmm.. I dunno..

[Anonymous Coward]

What about someone carrying a glass panel?

A sound idea, but they've all been hired for comic relief in car chases.

Re:What are we supposed to view the video in?

[pHatidic]

You seem to be mistakenly implying that the video is viewable on other operating systems.

But....

[Yumi Saotome]

What will happen to all those cool movie scenes where people kick down doors and bust in with guns blazing?

Re:But....

[Anonymous Coward]

Did "Hollywood" stop to include exploding cars when the auto-manufacturers developed better gas tanks? There is your answer. If you think that blockbuster movies has anything to do with reality then good luck to you.

Re:But....

[Anonymous Coward]

The door will open a hole just big enough for their foot to come through. Then it will constrict down to the size of their leg and stay that way, making them look dumb.

Re:But....

[thefirelane]

They'll just shoot at the door, and it will let the bullets come in.

Re:But....

[teh kurisu]

Just imagine the 'Here's Johnny!" sequence from The Shining with this door. Hilarious!

Real?

[Anonymous Coward]

Anyone got a copy of the video in a free format?

Whoops, the lower bars didn't open.

[mikeophile]

Pwned by a door.

Yeah, I see this really taking off.

Re:Whoops, the lower bars didn't open.

[spectre_240sx]

Damn, I bet you wouldn't even notice, would you? Funny, but sadly true.

Good thing it keeps bugs out...

[ccccc]

Because the thing seems to have enough as it is.

Re:Good thing it keeps bugs out...

[Duhavid]

But since you made fun of it, it will probably poke you in the eye, when you go thru one.

Hmm

[blackicye]

They're gonna need a triple wide version if they want to sell this to McDonalds.

What about Cowboyneal?

[Anonymous Coward]

It would be difficult to find a door that HE would fit through! :)

Prior Art

[Anonymous Coward]

The technology for the new design seems to be in it's infancy, but Japan has proven once again that it's a least 10 years ahead of everyone else.

What? Looney tunes have been doing this for years.

Re:What are we supposed to view the video in?

[Anonymous Coward]

I used realplayer

nice demonstration

[theskeptic]

but I think it would be too weird for many public places that employ automatic doors. There are two sensors on each panel. When the engineer was demonstrating it, part of his head was still being obstructed by one panel.

Maybe the sensors on the panel should be at a 45 degree angle to leave some margin of safety. I'm guessing the speed of the panels will probably to be improved to bring them in line with automatic doors.

Re:nice demonstration

[TheRaven64]

They also need to increase the range on the sensors somewhat. I really hate having to stop while I wait for an automatic door to open, when I could just have pushed a manual door and kept walking - and this seems to delay people even more than standard automatic doors.

Re:nice demonstration

[mattr]

Yes. And the sensors should be angled down, and be more sensitive and numerous.

However in the video, the older guy who bumps his head does not seem to be from the company that made it. He is the head of the company that brought the thing to the fair. He says that as a manufacturer that is looking at this midsized corporations tech fair (supposedly held at Big Sight in Tokyo but I couldn't find a reference to it on their calendar this or last month) they were talking to lots of people looking to see if there isn't anything interesting [to show a the fair] and this idea came up.
The guy is CEO Tanaka of some place called the TAFM development group.

In Japanese, the incident goes like this:
Reporter: Ah, looks like you got your head caught!
Guy: Yeah, what's going on, wonder why it won't open? [inflection is a bit haughty].
Reporter: Yes, because it is still in a prototype stage.
Guy: Well, I suppose you could say it opens but..

hmm...

[waltznumber3]

I'll look into it when it comes with Sirius Cybernetics Corporation's new GPP feature.

Re:hmm...

[LordHatrus]

*sigh* But think of how horribly depressing that would be...

Re:hmm...

[the gnat]

"Thank you," it said, "for making a simple door very happy."

Re:hmm...

[mat.h]

It appears I'm conditioned about the same as you. What came to my mind upon reading the headline was the sentence "Thank you for making a simple door very happy."

Yeah but.

[PlasticMonkey]

This was mentioned in another article the other day (within the comments). I (personally) don't think it'll minimise entry of dust and bugs because it takes _ages_ to close. I guess it would keep the heat in however. Another point I would raise is - how secure are these things? Not very I guess. And yet *another* point I would raise is - while this is the first commercial attempt at a door like this, I'm sure it could have been done ages ago. If all it is is infared sensors then I'm not wholly impressed :).

Re:Yeah but.

[SnowZero]

In other words, "Why try anything if you can't make it work perfectly in the first version". I think that sums up what's wrong with tech in the US these days. Do you think the first cars were better than a horse? People would ride by broken down cars and yell "get a horse". I'm glad those early tech developers were persistant.

Re:What are we supposed to view the video in?

[i_should_be_working]

Use this. No malware and crap like it used to be with windows.

Not bad

[WillRobinson]

Looking at the video, it is a good idea. Their opto sensors which are in the ends of the slides are not as responsive as they should be, but this is a minor diffculty.

Good applications would be between walls of warehouse and shipping. Which could still maintain as a firewall sould one occur.

Additional sensor could be added to detect object other than those centered on the door. Software even in the example could tell the ones above or below to open for at least a 2" minimal clearance.

Again, good concept, just needs a bit of polish.

Re:Not bad

[JPriest]

I don't see where this door at over $4,000 could be that useful. How much air passes as they are waiting for the door to open? Given that the door has ~500 seperate slides, how good is the seal when it is closed? Wouldn't a simple 2 door system be more practical and 5% of the price?

Re:Not bad

[rwise2112]

Wouldn't a simple 2 door system be more practical and 5% of the price?

Absolutely! That or a revolving door probably does as well for energy conservation.

Re:Not bad

[WAG24601G]

heck, slap a generator on the revolving door (making it only slightly more difficult to turn) and GENERATE some electricity to help alleviate energy-loss when the cold air escapes

Re:Not bad

[SnowZero]

The Japanese are now accustomed to automatic doors. After I spent a few months there, upon returning to the US I'd sometimes wait at a public door until I remembered it wouldn't open. Thus revolving doors are expected to be automatic too. Unfortunately, making a door like that safe is tricky, and there's a very famous case of a toddler dying in a automatic revolving door (see here). I don't think anyone in Japan is going to install a revolving door for a while, what with people calling them deathtraps (even if all the issues were fixed). Ford didn't exactly release the Pinto 2.

Also, there is of course the cool factor of having a door like the one in TFA. It might attract a few more people to come into your shop. Combined with an ordinary slinding outer double-door, it could be pretty good at sealing things too.

Re:Not bad

[memprime]

There are automatic revolving doors. The one I know of stops when you push on the handle, thinking it will speed the door up.

Re:Not bad

[EvanED]

There's a Douglas Adams article in A Salmon of Doubt talking about a trip to some resort on the Great Barrier Reef (I think). The resort had people stationed at all of the doors to open it for visitors.

The reason? It was a popular Japanese tourist destination, and they were often so used to automatic doors that they would sometimes stand in front of them for a minute or two waiting for them to open automatically.

(Or so says Douglas Adams)

Re:Not bad

[NanoGator]

"Good applications would be between walls of warehouse and shipping. Which could still maintain as a firewall sould one occur."

Heck, I thought it'd be neat to have a door with a built in 'doggie door' mode.

Re:Not bad

[jd0g85]

It might attract a few more people to come into your shop.

Yes, but if your shop doesn't have enough people going in and out to begin with, think of how many people would simply pass by thinking it's closed?

Re:Not bad

[NateTech]

If by "needs polish" you mean that it needs to work correctly, which the prototype does not... then yes. This stupid multi-door is a huge success.

Re:What are we supposed to view the video in?

[bersl2]

You know, there's a RealPlayer for Linux. It's not that bad either.

Of course, I use MPlayer + mplayerplug-in.

Problem solved, unless you're not on x86.ni-gul

I'll pass

[imstanny]

If you look at the video, the door is a pain in the ass. It doesn't work right half the time, there's an uncomfortable delay, and considering the amount of moving parts... more chances of it sucking even more once one of those parts breaks entirely.

It's cool, but even if it cost cheaper than a regular door, no way in hell would i get it.

Fat Ass Accomodation

[Loundry]

I can't wait for the thoughts and comments of this door opening exactly enough to accomodate the fat ass of a pear-shaped person.

You know what I'm talking about. Sometimes you see a person who has a really fat ass. There's nothing wrong with having a big fat ass, but you still look at it. Hell, maybe you're even turned on by it. Polite society requries us not to mention it. But it's practiacally an eye-magnet. With super glue on it. And extra gravity (due to mass).

But the door, by nature not constrained to the whims of polite society, will "mention" it.

Or what if the door's sensors/algorithm fails and the person's fat ass gets stuck in the door? I suppose that would be even worse.

Re:Fat Ass Accomodation

[Muhammar]

Q: How do you accomodate for people having different heights and shapes?

A: Well, they will not be all that different after our SharpEdge(TM) door.

Re:Fat Ass Accomodation

[SnowZero]

I think the door should audibly announce the maximum width it had to open to. Additionally it should record daily maximums and announce if an object exceeds the current record.

Re:Fat Ass Accomodation

[Tablizer]

Oh no! not "Does this door make me look fat?"

Re:Fat Ass Accomodation

[Anonymous Coward]

It can be mentioned in polite society.

Re:Fat Ass Accomodation

[Gojira Shipi-Taro]

The door should also have a "Demo" Mode, where it periodically opens to the position needed for the current record holder, flashing that person's name over the doorway in bright, flashing LEDs (alternating with "Daily Record!!!"

Jeez

[Anonymous Coward]

Buffering...

Re:Jeez

[saskboy]

" Buffering..."

Is that what the door says to Cowboyneal when it attempts to open to the correct girth for his oversized bottom?

This door sucks.

[Khyber]

With all those independent moving parts, I can imagine maintenance is a pain in the ass. Not to mention the energy required to move all those parts, then the power for the computer, sensors, etc. I also imagine this isnt' very insulating, either. The article mentions it preserves air-conditioning? With that many parts I fail to see any reliable method of sealing the door off, I can imagine there's a lot of gaps for 'necessary movement.' While thinking of minimizing the entry of pollen/mold/allergens is nice as well, you could do just as easy with one of those air barriers we use at the loading bays that keeps someone cool with air, but it's strong enough of a barrier that it keeps flies and bugs out, and actually does keep the AC more than just leaving a door open.

Re:This door sucks.

[bigwavejas]

Totally, I have a hard enough time remembering to buy replacement light bulbs, let alone infrared opto sensors.

Re:This door sucks.

[line.at.infinity]

Since it moves less mass, it should be more energy efficient than traditional doors. And air barriers are not at all energy efficient.

Re:This door sucks.

[Dutch_Cap]

It might move less mass, but I bet all those moving parts encounter a lot more friction.

Re:This door sucks.

[Overzeetop]

I would expect revolving doors would keep out more pollen/dust and minimize HVAC losses. But they're not as gee-whiz nowadays, I guess.

dupe via comment

[ghee22]

link

WILL IT NEVER END?! ... just kidding, this actually shows that I read too much slashdot.

Obligatory comments:
1. Proof that Japan is light-years ahead of US in tech -- This is also a comment dupe
2. Seems as the doors have trouble opening at the top of a persons head -- another comment dupe
3. something about profit-- yada yada
4. my karma whoring days are over, you may as well delete my uid

Re:dupe via comment

[clem]

4. my karma whoring days are over, you may as well delete my uid

You're sure you don't want to sell it on EBay? I'd be interested to know what UID #7811227 would fetch.

Re:What are we supposed to view the video in?

[Living WTF]

How about mplayer?

No problem

[Anonymous Coward]

It will be controlled by a PC.

Reliability

[Ed Almos]

The conventional door has one thing in its favor, reliability. The electronics controlling this beast had better be 100% reliable because a malfunction could take one of two possible forms:

1) Door fails to open. Having expected the door to open you then walk around with a nose like Mike Tyson for a few weeks.

2) Door closes early. Nasty, very nasty.

Call me old fashioned, but first thing tomorrow I want to see a real door on my office.

Ed Almos
Budapest, Hungary

Re:Reliability

[binaryspiral]

Before discounting this as a joke... think about elevators that people made fun of for centuries because the technology at the time made them deathtraps.

Now we hit a button and rise 40 stories to a cubicle that we WISH had a door on it. :(

Re:Reliability

[Bones3D_mac]

This thing sounds almost Rube Goldberg-like. It may be a good idea for the purposes it's been designed for, but it seems really impractical for any real-world use.

Re:Reliability

[ScrewMaster]

Well, in the original Star Trek series the Bridge doors were opened by a stagehand that was standing behind them in a narrow space, holding a pair of ropes. In the book "The Making of Star Trek" the author relates that one day on the set, the door operator dozed off (no fresh air, heat from the lights, etc.) just as Captain Kirk tried to enter the turbolift. I don't remember if Shatner actually broke his nose or just bruised it.

Gene Roddenberry once received a letter from an individual that managed a nursing home, asking about the high-tech doors and how they could really help when moving patients around (this was 1966 or thereabouts, remember.) Roddenberry had to explain that there was no automation involved ... just some guy standing there pulling ropes.

Of course, nowadays medical facilities are full of Star-Trek style automated doors of one kind or another. So I guess there is progress after all. Maybe in the next thirty years we'll all be using form-fitting automatic doors like the one in the article.

But yeah ... they'll have to work on the whole reliability thing. And I have to wonder how well those IR sensors are going to work if the ambient temperature is, say, 98.6 degrees.

Re:Reliability

[binaryspiral]

Instead of using passive IR sensors... use (gasp) active IR sensors or ultrasonic - like autodoors today use.

I miss the days of having jump on the mat in front of the grovery store to open the door for my mum. :-)

Re:Reliability

[SnowZero]

Instead of using passive IR sensors... use (gasp) active IR sensors or ultrasonic - like autodoors today use.

The door in the article appears to be using (active) Sharp IR distance sensors. I wonder if some of their problems are the large number of sensors interfering somewhat.

Re:Reliability

[Niten]

But the difference is that the elevator is a solution to the real problem of having to climb up very long stairways in high-rise buildings. What problem with previous, simpler automated door designs does this door actually solve?

Re:Reliability

[Anonymous Coward]

"made fun of for centuries"? Centuries? Where? By whom? There WERE no elevators centuries ago partly because there was no need for them as buildings more than 3 or 4 stories tall were unheard of. The first device even vaguely like an elevator was invented in 1823. The modern safety elevator was invented in 1853. It's this invention that allowed buildings high enough to actually need elevators.

Re:Reliability

[KingPrad]

Profit margin for retailers, possibly? That's all I can see. I'd be happy for my doors to open and close automatically when I approach, but that's adding just a little motor. Why I would want hundreds of moving parts to do this, I can't imagine.

Re:Reliability

[yfkar]

I've had to jump and wave my hands to get automatic doors open on three occassions during the year. And I'm 183cm tall. Maybe something's wrong with my style... =X

Re:Reliability

[binaryspiral]

But the difference is that the elevator is a solution to the real problem of having to climb up very long stairways in high-rise buildings. What problem with previous, simpler automated door designs does this door actually solve?


If it cuts down on the air exchange when a door is opened it can cut down on energy usage, indoor air quality, etc.

We really need elevators until we could build tall buildings... at the rate we're farking up the environment, we'll need these doors in the future - so lets perfect them now, eh?

Re:Reliability

[fossa]

I'd like to take this opportunity to complain about the electronic safe at work.

To open the safe:

1. Turn the dial to the left repeatedly for about 30 seconds to charge up the electronics.
2. Turn the dial to the right to the first number in the combination.
3. Turn the dial slightly to the left because you overshot the first number.
4. Watch the numbers unexpectedly move backwards by tens.
5. Turn the dial more slowly to the right to the first number in the combination.
6. Wait for the electronics to register your selection of that number.
7. Turn the dial to right to the second number of the combination.
8. Watch the electronics run out of charge.
9. GOTO 1.

In summary, the stored charge is insufficient for all but a perfect shot, the feedback of turning the dial -> changing the number it points to is horrible, and I hate it. I suppose none of these are directly related to the electronics, just poor design.

If someone can tell me the advantage of an electronic safe over its mechanical counterpart, you'll get a cookie*.

* No you won't, but you'll complete my life, and I think that's a close second.

Re:Reliability

[binaryspiral]

pffft, you've obviously never watched the Flintstones.

Re:What are we supposed to view the video in?

[JPriest]

You can get real player for Linux but I don't suggest installing it on Windows. Try instead: Real Alternative

Re:What are we supposed to view the video in?

[Anonymous Coward]

The video is viewable in Linux if that's what you're after. There's even a port of the official player to Linux! Sheesh, it's called Google

marvin

[bigalsenior]

just another set of self gratifying doors

Re:What are we supposed to view the video in?

[bersl2]

Problem solved, unless you're not on x86.ni-gul

Hrm... well that's a weird bug...

Re:What are we supposed to view the video in?

[JPriest]

Ps, for Ubuntu users:
"sudo apt-get install realplayer"

hmmm

[yagu]

I just watched the video and I couldn't understand a single word they said.

Re:hmmm

[mark-t]

What?

You read slashdot and don't understand Japanese?

Or are you one of those _really_ rare types that is a nerd but doesn't like anime?

They are also working on a toilet seat

[qaq]

the video is coming too

Re:They are also working on a toilet seat

[Anonymous Coward]

Do they have the same girl in the movie?

already done...?

[moviepig.com]

In some retro-decorated apartments, I've seen doors that worked like this. The tenants called them "bead curtains"...

Hmm, seems inefficient

[2nd Post!]

The square foot of the opening may be smaller, but the number strips increases the surface area of every interface; I imagine that the door can't be airtight when closed!

Also doesn't this require multiple motors? Another failure mode if the door doesn't open the strip at eye level and smacks someone in the face.

Re:Hmm, seems inefficient

[J'raxis]

The square foot of the opening may be smaller, but the number strips increases the surface area of every interface; I imagine that the door can't be airtight when closed!

The door in the video seems to have about a centimetre-wide gap down the middle, and there's probably space between each slat, but this could always be filled with some sort of weather-stripping like ordinarly house doors have.

Also doesn't this require multiple motors? Another failure mode if the door doesn't open the strip at eye level and smacks someone in the face.

Watch the video. It looks like it's a problem with the sensors, not the motors, but the door almost does this to the guy who tries to walk through it a few minute into the video. Several slats at head height won't even open after he waves at them.

Re:What are we supposed to view the video in?

[ghee22]

Since it's a ram file, there's Real Player for Linux or even community based Helix

Sounds like another flashy but useless gizmo

[downhole]

Maybe it works if someone walks straight through it without moving too much, but how is it going to deal with groups of people shifting around each other, people who happen to turn while walking through, people who are carrying or swinging around oddly-shaped items, etc.

Re:Sounds like another flashy but useless gizmo

[SnowZero]

In other words, people who will run into most current automatic doors anyway?

When I Pass

[PingPongBoy]

The know my profile already.

I think there is a market for about 5 of these

[NotQuiteReal]

Mostly in Hollywood... to be used in movies that MOCK the future.

IMHO

I could see this as a success...

[Anonymous Coward]

In the Super Villain market, if the slats are replaced by knives...

Omniscient Colossus

Potentially dangerous...

[midifarm]

Especially when you try to stumble into your doorway after a night of heavy sake drinking.

Wile E. Coyote, Genius

[homeobocks]

The animators at Loony Tunes envisioned this years ago.

Re:Wile E. Coyote, Genius

[midifarm]

That's Wile E. Coyote, Super Genius!

Keeping precious air-conditioning in?

[Anonymous Coward]

You mean your air-con plant runs out the door at every available opportunity?

What are you doing to it to make it behave like that?

Does it try to get to the refuge for abused air conditioning or something?

Holy Slashpunk Editors Batman!

date of the video

[Anonymous Coward]

The .rm file is date 30.9.2004 and the copyright says 2003...

Re:date of the video

[Anonymous Coward]

The .rm file is date 30.9.2004 and the copyright says 2003...

Duh! It's from Japan. They have a completely other timezone there! This is hot news!

Fat Americans

[Anonymous Coward]

[start rant]
In the rest of the world (besides the US) where 1 in 3 persons aren't fat and out of shape, this will work great. OT: Notice when you watch on TV or in magazines- there are no fat people in other parts of the world. It's a US thing only unfortunately. Yeah for fast food, fat people, penis medicine and SUVs that get 10MPG! That's America for you.
[end rant]

Re:Fat Americans

[erlenic]

I think he meant 5'6" TALL, not wide. It's a common joke made when discussing Asian cultures in the US, because the average height in Asia is shorter than in the US.

Re:Fat Americans

[hackwrench]

They only look 5'6 because they live so far away! Remember the difference is always attributed to the other guy.

Re:Fat Americans

[MidnightBrewer]

Not anymore. People are getting a lot taller due to the change in diet over the last few decades; more red meat means taller people. It's rather depressing, really; I'm no taller than average over here than I was back home.

Re:Fat Americans

[erlenic]

Wow, I hadn't heard that before. I certainly didn't see it myself in Korea, but I was only in a small portion of the country.

Re:Fat Americans

[Anonymous Coward]

Bullshit. I'm vegetarian and 6'5" Don't trust anything the beef council has to say...

After watching that video...

[dark404]

WORST idea EVER...

Re:What are we supposed to view the video in?

[ScrewMaster]

Yes, but Xtra Problems will arise.

security feature is better

[Erris]

What will happen to all those cool movie scenes where people kick down doors and bust in with guns blazing?

Those will still happen when the door refuses to open.

A bonus feature will be "spear mode" where the door pretends to open, then selectively closes one or two leaves. It's a tiger trap, I tell you.

So...

[Locke2005]

This is a big improvement on a revolving door for exactly what reason?
- Not as air tight
- Requires power/servos/sensors
- Not as reliable
- Can accidentally close on pedestrians
Oh, wait, it takes up less space... I guess the Japanese are willing to suffer any inconvenience in exchange for something that uses a little less real estate.

So, what does this door do during a power failure? The options of failing open (security nightmare), failing closed (fire evacuation nightmare) or reverting to manual operation (requires everybody to push open every panel by hand!) all really, really suck!

Re:So...

[HarryCaul]

I don't see how it's not airtight. Or rather, why it couldn't be. A series of interlocking self-lubricating rubbery strips on each panel would make it as air tight as anything else.

Reliability of so many parts is clearly an issue.

But yeah, the killer is power-off safety. There's no good answer for that one. Unless...an emergency release panic-button on the inside that somehow allowed the door to spring open electricity-free?

Re:So...

[WAG24601G]

The automatic sliding doors in the store I used to work at would simply pop off their hinges and swing open in a power-down emergency (or any other time they were turned off). I imagine it wouldn't be difficult to have a similar system where the entire door frame could swing open from the inside in the event of a power failure.

Re:So...

[Sparr0]

they are servo controlled, i am sure. that means you could attach a manual lever to the gearing to open all the panels at once.

Re:So...

[EvanED]

Can accidentally close on pedestrians

Also a problem with revolving doors. In fact, another poster pointed to this case in which a toddler was killed by a revolving door. (It's an automatic revolving door.)

Re:So...

[garett_spencley]

But yeah, the killer is power-off safety. There's no good answer for that one. Unless...an emergency release panic-button on the inside that somehow allowed the door to spring open electricity-free?

I don't see why that's not a viable option. Also, as in many windows on buses and trains, you could have an emergency lever that knocks the entire door out at the frame. Pull lever + push door down kind of concept.

What would Marvin say?

[exp(pi*sqrt(163))]

Ghastly it all is. Absolutely ghastly.

RFID + SUPER DOOR

[botmfeedr]

teh win?

In related news....

[Anonymous Coward]

"The Society of Obese Japanese and the National Sumo Wrestlers Association have charged designers of automatic door opening systems of discrimination."

1 in 3??

[Anonymous Coward]

80% of Americans are morbidly obese.

Power outages?

[pin_gween]

Automation does not always equal improvement.

I am perfectly at ease having battery back up for my computer, but you would need one for your door too. A standard sliding door can be pushed open fairly easily during power outages - imagine having to push 17 slats just get through.

Our energy use already surpasses its availability in peak times (recall rolling blackouts in California, the heat induced blackouts in NE US). Now they want to add DOORS to the grid? I wouldn't think there would be a lot of consumption per door, but still...

Re:Power outages?

[camarojoe]

Well, they could make the door solar powered (although very inefficiant) or, have a crank attatched to a generator, attatched to a battery, and make it so you can crank to charge the battery or capacitor.

Re:Power outages?

[bigtrike]

Our energy use already surpasses its availability in peak times (recall rolling blackouts in California, the heat induced blackouts in NE US). Now they want to add DOORS to the grid? I wouldn't think there would be a lot of consumption per door, but still...

While we do have production issues, the California blackouts were caused by Enron executives shutting down power plants at peak times. There are already lots of automatic doors on the grid, most of which are arranged in an "air-lock" fashion but I'm assuming the current ones use a lot less energy than this model.

Re:What are we supposed to view the video in?

[Anonymous Coward]

Okay, I've installed Google on my computer but I still can't view the video.

A real demo video?

[David Horn]

As opposed to a fake demo video? ;)

Re:A real demo video?

[Moester]

They were referring to it being in real format....

Re:A real demo video?

[tepples]

As opposed to a fake demo video? ;)

"Fake demo video" in this case would refer to a demo created with a 3D program.

This has a long way to go!

[giberti]

Obviously not bug free... but neat idea none the less. I could see application for something like this in airports or shipping facilities, but not ready for prime time or people yet! Imagine when the actuator on the middle slide stops working... an expensive service tech has to come fix it, the parts are back ordered, so it's going to be another 3 weeks... arggggg....

Super door of the future?

[hkb]

More like the Super Door of Two Weeks Ago On Engadget.

These days it seems like Slashdot is just a clearinghouse for week-old stories posted on all the other tech sites.

Re:Super door of the future?

[Sparr0]

Slashdot is not about the news. It is about discussing the news. And until I find another forum with the level of customized viewing (I read at +3, but my custom filters include -3 Funny and +1 Freak) that Slash offers it will continue to be the best place to find thoughtful discussion of the topics we cover here.

Re:Super door of the future?

[hkb]

Err okay, if that's your thing. It mostly just seems like nerd tripe and trolls, to me.

Re:Super door of the future?

[packeteer]

I am now your freak so that in the future you will see all my posts modded up.

Re:Super door of the future?

[Sparr0]

I am torn between giving you Friend+2 or Foe-3 for that :) I will let it sit at Freak+1 for now and moderate you accordingly as I see your posts come up in the future.

Re:Super door of the future?

[packeteer]

haha ok well see where this goes...

You can always read a few of the last 20 posts i made. Those are all linked from my profile. Also i did this jsut for laughs but ill watch your posts in the future to see if a foe is really what i want ^_^

Imagine this in 3-D

[minkie]

Take a whole bunch of these and stack them up in series. As you approach each one, it opens as closes again behind you as you pass. You end up in a moving bubble. That would be cool.

Re:Imagine this in 3-D

[silentbozo]

You end up in a moving bubble. That would be cool.
 
Depends on how airtight the slats are. I wouldn't want to run out of oxygen before I got to where I was going...

Re:Imagine this in 3-D

[IntellectualCritic]

Take a whole bunch of these and stack them up in series. As you approach each one, it opens as closes again behind you as you pass. You end up in a moving bubble. That would be cool.

If claustrophobia is cool, then yes, it'd very cool.

video format

[Anonymous Coward]

who the hell uses .RAM, fuckin usless video format in the age of broadband

Kentucky Fried Movie...

[WonderSnatch]

Doesn't the guy at the end of the video look like Bong Soo Han? He played Dr. Klahn in Kentucky Fried Movie.

Brett

Doggies!

[GoldAnt]

The useful thing that comes to mind is a built in doggie door for Rover =D

I like big butts and I can not lie ...

[Anonymous Coward]

You other slashdotters can't deny ...

Laser?

[diamondmagic]

LED's wouldn't doo the trick. I would use IR Lasers and detect when a person would be within 3-6 seconds of hiting the door before opening it. Sort of like laser speed meters that the highway partol uses, but smallified. Than use a lens to widen the beam parallel to the slats. Mabye use a small camera IR while you are at it.

Uh-not.

[gomel]

I think you miss the point of the story. A hint is burried in the last sentence:

Quote: The technology for the new design seems to be in it's infancy, but Japan has proven once again that it's a least 10 years ahead of everyone else.

It's simply a gadget to troll for sarcastic comments from the clueless gaijin. ( I wonder what the people at /..jp think about it. )

Re:Uh-not.

[nmb3000]

I wonder what the people at /..jp think about it.

Not sure seeing as the Google translation doesn't do all that hot, but the translation of /..jp is somewhat interesting.

"It has been said that the anonymous person..." I like that a lot better than what we've got :)

Re:Uh-not.

[blackicye]

Thanks for the link to /..jp translation.

I've read the funniest thing I've seen all week.

"Rhinoceros bar crime large gain and National Police Agency announcement
August 22nd of 2005 o'clock of 5 due to the Acanthopanax contribution of 55 parts,
From net crime prevention section.
Security

It has been said the teltel, " according to the article of the MYCOM PC WEB, the National Police Agency, " concerning arrest of rhinoceros bar crime of 2005 seniority half and consultation acceptance circumstance " " concerning the occurrence circumstance and the like of illegitimate access behavior of 2005 seniority half " (the pdf) with the data which is said is published. It is found from the data that substantial increase is shown arrest and illegality access of rhinoceros bar crime in comparison with last year. Overhead claim and the consultation regarding the fraud behavior in the auction are very many, it can perceive also the fact that really the considerable person has met to damage. On one hand, those where the National Police Agency verified concerning illegality access are 317 cases, so, the top of the number of the data enters, increasing, but reflecting the actual condition, it is and it is improbable. It is not the case that also the police has caused the hand to increase of these crimes densely, " the National Police Agency information security importance measure program -2005 " the future policy of saying is announced on August 15th. "

(You read more... | 2 / 10 comments"

Re:Uh-not.

[fbjon]

Oh, please.. :)

Here's a translation by something that isn't a toy.

For sensible translations from japanese:

1. Go here
2. Select the second radio button (ja->en)
3. Click big button
4. ???
5. Best autotranslation on the web.

If you compare Google/Babelfish with Excite, you'll notice that the former are indeed toys in comparison. If you find the japanese language of excite intimidating, use my handy panel/sidebar for ja-en translation.

Re:Real Video

[dongshu]

Yea, take the crappy wmv format.

Even more effective energy door

[standards]

There is another, even more impressive system for controlling crap from getting into your building and energy getting out.

It's called the revolving door.

Re:Fat Ass Humor

[YankeeInExile]

Please stop looking at my ass ...

Personal Space

[Blind_Io_42]

As a rather tall (6'4) and broad shouldered guy with a longer than average stride I can see terrible things happening to these little toys as I approach. Many places I go the sensors and motors on automatic doors are not fast enough to get the door out of my way when I am in a hurry.

Also, let's not forget that people, especially Americans, love their space. We pay more for higher celings in our homes for this very reason. With my height I feel somewhat claustrophobic in my freind's 7' celing appartment. This door's entire point is to cut the space around you down to the bare minimum.

All it has to do is sing out with a chorus of "ahhh's" "Thank you's" and so forth from each slat and we can submit the design to Sirius Cybernetics.

Re:Personal Space

[typical]

I suspect any claustrophobic Japanese died off long ago.

Neat, but...

[Bob Cat - NYMPHS]

Can it perform cunnilingus on a hardwood floor?

"Pleased to be of service"

[matt me]

But does it sigh with the satisfaction of a job well done upon closing?

Aqua Teen ....

[wideBlueSkies]

Looks like Shake has already thought of this. Not that the house is any cleaner though...

Oh yeah... sorry Geddy's jet is in the way. Take off, eh?

Dude, its Japan.

[Anonymous Coward]

Dude, its Japan.

Yeah....

[Anonymous Coward]

But does it run Linu......
O wait, its a friggin door! If it did :GOTTA CATCH'EM ALL!

... of the Future

[DaViking]

"Door of the future"? What happened to the days of flying cars and other cool technology leaps of the future?

Ob. HHGG

[Haydn Fenton]

Sure is. Especially if the Marketing Division of the Sirius Cybernetics Corporation has anything to do with them...

Thank you for using this door. I've enjoyed opening for you. Hhmmyaahh...
What a pleasure it is to open for you. I will gladly close for you now.

Re:Ob. HHGG

[Anonymous Coward]

Will it be called the Goatse door?

Force field?

[scallions]

So when will we see force-field / energy-membrane doors?

nice idea, lousy implementation

[cahiha]

That's a nice idea, but the implementation looks like it really sucks.

For now, maybe I'll stick with this or this.

I go with "flashy and useless"

[typical]

No. This door attempts to minimize the space, which means that if it, say, tries to maintain a two-inch margin, it must detect and accelerate out of the way with almost no warning.

A regular automatic door attempts to not occupy the space that you might potentially use as soon as you are within several feet of the door. That's a *much* bigger margin to allow response time than this door has.

There are other issues:

(a) This door doesn't sound particularly strong. That means that people that buy it may need to also purchase an additional "night door" for locking purposes. Currently, my supermarket does not do this.

(b) Unless the door is extremely lightweight (unlikely, if the point is to keep air conditioned air in, which means it probably contains double-plated glass), to deal with the higher rate of acceleration than a traditional sliding door, the motors to accelerate the door will probably have to be significantly more powerful than the traditional motors. This means more noise and energy consumption.

(c) This door will probably cost quite a bit, at least at first. Doors are commodity items. Unless it helps bring people in with the oooh-aaah factor, it may not present itself as a good buy.

One place where I could see it being very useful is in environments where the speed of something is known and fixed, but the shape still differs. Baggage conveyor belts at airports currenly have heavy slit rubber sheets instead of "doors", but this rubber will slide over the packages. At places that use conveyor belts to move people (such as at some airports or malls), it might be possible to put such doors in place, if there was a desire to section off the mall. (Hmm...malls seem to usually be architected in a very open fashion, so perhaps this wouldn't be a good idea.)

'Cool'

[yfkar]

Perhaps cool, but utterly pointless. I can't see how this is improving anything.

Perhaps if it ran Linux?

Re:What are we supposed to view the video in?

[Anonymous Coward]

Install Windows, problem solved.

Ok, I installed Windows, but Windows Media Player won't play it. What else do I have to install?

It was a pleasure to open for you!

[iamlucky13]

Courtesy Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy.

Therapy door

[tempest69]

After the 3rd time you fumble in the dark and stub your (toe/ eye/ groin ) your memory will dramatically improve, in fact you may be prone to check the sensors quite a bit.

Why go around wearing two eye patches. when it only takes one to make you a pirate? (same goes for the peg leg) (insert groin joke here (be sure to reference the "hard enough time" from parent).

Storm

Sterile Future, until...

[melatonin]

everyone contracts a particularly virulent disease from a dirty telephone booth.

Do yourself a flavour, like the ground once in a while. What doesn't kill you, makes you stronger :0)

Re:Sterile Future, until...

[melatonin]

um, I meant lick, not like.

we already have a solution

[Anonymous Coward]

We already have a solution for keeping doors sealed for AC purposes, it's called a revolving door. They've only been around for 100 years or so

All my doors ...

[Dark$ide]

... are belong to you.

In the USA

[tsmithnj]

This door would open completely 99% of the time.....

Re:In the USA

[Anonymous Coward]

Yeah and in Soviet Russia, the people would contract into a thin vertical sliver as they approached the doors.

Yes just imagine...

[Anonymous Coward]

Imagine a Beowulf cluster of them
..but does it run OSX86?.
In Soviet Russia, people passing through approximate the shape of automatic doors, you know.

Re: Unreally Fat Ass

[Anonymous Coward]

MM-M-M-M-M-M-M-MONSTER ARSE!

Imagine if the door is used as the entrance to a gym, or weight-watchers club?

FAT ARSE FRENZY!

Re:What are we supposed to view the video in?

[Allelophagia]

If anyone is interested in realplayer without the adverts the good ol' BBC offer an ad free version.
Check it out here:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/audiohelp_install.shtml

As far as I understand Real were forced to make it as the BBC didn't like Real making money from a non-profit organisation. Upshot is you can have realplayer without annoying adverts... TV licencing in the UK does have a use after all!

Audio?

[Anonymous Coward]

I tried RealPLayer, but there must have been a problem with audio. I couldn't understand a word of it!

point - less.

[-( Austin Peters )-]

It looks like it hardly helps at all... I'm kinda with everyone else here. It doesn't seem that great.

This is...

[kflash15]

old news (if you can even call it that)! They posted that on gizmodo on 8/13... over a week ago!

may not break-even

[Ancient_Hacker]

One tends to forget that a sliding door needs a lot of open space inside the wall. That space ends up being uninsulated, so it's gonna one cold and warm wall on either side of this door. Plus that section of wall can't have any supporting columns, so some much stronger columns and a stronger crossbeam have to be used. It's not something easily retrofitted into a house not already designd for it. Also the first time somebody gets pinched by the door all their profits are going to go *poof* to handle that lawsuit. And does the door come with a full-time person to keep all the mechanicals clean and lubed? Looks like a very high-maintenance gadget. Otherwise it looks cool.

No big deal

[yoyhed]

My asshole has been opening to the approximate shape of the shit passing through it for years. OLD NEWS.

Automatic doors eh?

[ross.w]

do they open when you shoot at them? Or do you have to find the hidden lever?

A better Glory Hole.

[Anonymous Coward]

You're driving one from work and you glance over to the left in time to see your neighbor's d*ck hanging out his garage door. Wonderful. Welcome to the future.

Yet...

[Anonymous Coward]

Yet they have the video only in Real format, proving that they are at least ten years behind everyone else. ;P

Re:What are we supposed to view the video in?

[Anonymous Coward]

Actually, totem-xine under Ubuntu played it just fine.

Still Useful

[Anonymous Coward]

Practicality issues aside, say one of these were installed in a gas station. If a theft were to occur, there would not only be video but the exact dimensions of the robber.

But really, that's the only advantage I can see, other than keeping the attendant comfortable.

We already have automatic doors

[DoctaWatson]

Yeah they malfunction every now and then, but it's not the end of the world.

Your reservations about the doors in this article are the same that you would have about automatic doors, which we've been using quite successfully for decades.

Can't.. hold... back...

[Qzukk]

In soviet Russia, bidet flush you!

Dude, It's Japan.

[Anonymous Coward]

Dude, It's Japan.

No scientists were harmed in this production

[Anonymous Coward]

'Japanese scientists'?

The inventor (owner of a small factory that makes metalworking equipment) got drunk with a friend, who said "wouldn't it be cool if you could just walk through a wall?".

Dugg

[Anonymous Coward]

Saw this on Digg like a week ago.

More Heinlein - the door dilated ....

[midgley]

That was one of his techniques for putting the reader in a different world.

Taken a while to catch up in real life, I'm still waiting for the reader control that slows as you relax, and then saves your place when you go to sleep.

They only need 3 sliders really

[tentimestwenty]

I don't know why there are so many sliders. As many pointed out, the efficiency of the closed door is horrendous and the propensity to break is very high.

All they really need is two overlapping vertical sliders on either side (as on pocked french doors) and one horizontal on the top which moves up and down. People are pretty much rectangular anyway and no one wants to walk through an opening that has their head so close to the boundaries.

Re:What are we supposed to view the video in?

[sigloiv]

That works in Red Hat and/or Fedora. Not that I would use either of those...they're both crap. I'd rather stick to my Gentoo and Portage: emerge -v realplayer

Re:What are we supposed to view the video in?

[Anonymous Coward]

Dosn't work with mplayer on Gentoo/AMD64.

Re:What are we supposed to view the video in?

[SanityInAnarchy]

Google for "gentoo mplayer32" -- there's binary packages that'll let the win32codecs work. If you're on any other arch, grab those packages and make them install (package.keywords) and use the usermode qemu.

what about pets?

[tmuka]

Sure it can keep out dust and pollen, but what about animals? I suppose this isn't much of a consideration for many of the automatic door designs i've seen...

10 Years Ahead?

[popo]

"The technology for the new design seems to be in it's infancy, but Japan has proven once again that it's a least 10 years ahead of everyone else."

Except for the fact that they're using RealVideo which makes them "10 years behind" everyone else...

Re: Unreally Fat Ass

[Anonymous Coward]

Ah, if I only had mod points....

Wait - we do that already!

[SuperKendall]

Who opens a sliding door all the way, walks through, then shuts it again?

I already open sliding doors just as much as I need to to pass through - with the same gain in air conditioning efficiency as they are claiming.

I mean, it's more work to open a sliding door all the way, it makes no sense to do so!

Japanese automatic doors

[Ogemaniac]

are actually quite irritating. In an effort to save energy, they do not start to open until you are about three feet away from them, much later than in the US. The result of this is that anyone with a normal walking speed usually has to stop and wait a half-step before they can go through. This value of irritation has got to be a lot greater than that of the micro-watt of energy that is saved, but such logic does not seem to hold in Japan.

I was interested until...

[Mattz.Mcpherson]

At first I thought really cool idea. Then I saw the demo video was in Real format and have therefore consigned this technology to the back of my mind.
When these doors come out, I'll probably resent them for some unknown reason.
It's all Real Networks fault!

Obligatory Simpson joke

[Federico2]

Homer entering Jetmarket through that door: "Hey, I'm not that fat! Stupid door!"

Re:What are we supposed to view the video in?

[jgoemat]

Mod parent up! I haven't installed RealPlayer on my Windows box in years because of the spyware, reporting, and tray icon crap. Real Alternative works great.

Slashdot Geek Appeal

[Anonymous Coward]

This is great! Can it do pear shaped?

Too much time

[Timberwolf0122]

The whole of japan has just too much time on it's hands, that said the doors are fairly cool but would be cooler if they were made of leequid mehtal. but that would need either nano-tech/v.complex rotating magnetic fields.

What happens if shape not constant?

[Bad to the Ben]

What would happen if say, I was talking and expressing myself by moving my hands and arms as I was walking through the door? My shape would not be constant, so would the door have to continuously adjust? If it wasn't fast enough, would I end up bashing it?

Having the sliding parts so close to the body leaves very little room for error.

Genuine People Personality?

[klokop]

Do these doors have a cheerful and sunny disposition?

Re:Genuine People Personality?

[chawly]

Of course they do - except on alternate Wednsday's. Everybody knows that, in Japan (as in Scotland and in France, d'ailleurs), one must eat cats on alternate Wednsdays. Could I have another glass of wine, please ?

cat flaps

[Finitepoint]

Would a door like this need a cat flap?

Re:cat flaps

[chawly]

Sure it would - or a dog flap.

Re:Uh-huh

[boron boy]

non-abs equipped cars stop sooner than abs (in 'normal' weather/driving conditions)

BS. A modern EBCM (electronic brake control module) can outbrake Schumacher. I should know, my software flash programs the damn things.

10 years ahead?

[ebvwfbw]

The technology for the new design seems to be in it's infancy, but Japan has proven once again that it's a least 10 years ahead of everyone else. -JM

From the very valid points made by previous posts, it is clear they Don't prove they are 10 years ahead of anyone else. All it proves is that they have too much time on their hands and lots of money. It also proves that they can do stupid things too. Hey Japan - KISS. Keep It Simple Stupid!

Driver's License Test

[arete]

Here in the US, as far as I can tell, the only skill they test is "can drive legally under nearly ideal street conditions" not "has any skill at actually driving"

Often it involves driving around fairly quiet streets; if you successfully don't do anything illegal you pass. If you DO do something illegal you have to come back and try again.

That I recall, no tests of actual _driving_ skill are made. I'd love them to require a plastic-cone slolom (sp?), cornering at speed, emergency braking on a partially slick surface etc. (I'm not suggesting these need to be tested at 70mph - more like 30mph.)

This is exacerbated by the poor state of Driver's Education. In my moderately affluent suburb this was almost entirely taught by the brain-dead Physical Education teachers who on multiple occasions gave us pretty patently wrong advice.

Keeping with most mainstream education here they have generally reduced the tendency to fail on the basis of "merely" not being competent at the material.

Naturally, I therefore know a lot of drivers who should never have been issued a driver's license.

STOP WITH THE IGNORANCE PEOPLE!

[Anonymous Coward]

Anti-Lock Breaks do,
    1. Allow you to steer during maximum breaking your tires can take (or your break shoes if your breaks are worn out or burnt out or overheated or whatever).
    Reason: The wheels do not lock so you can steer!

    2. Breaks much faster under ANY conditions.
    Reason: It is a FACT that virtually ALL materials have a higher static friction (wheel no sliding) than dynamic friction (wheel sliding). This is *BASIC* physics!!!

#2 is only false under very few conditions, most common being your ABS is crap and kicks in BEFORE the wheels stop rotating during breaking. But even then #1 wins (ie. avoid the pole or the cow or the pedestrian)

Any profesional driver will tell you that once you lock up your breaks you are fucked and your breaking goes from great to crap, just like control of the car/bike/whatever.

Stability control, and othe stuff like that is just an extention of the ABS and it helps hell of a lot. The car prevents you from doing figure-8 burnouts or whatever when you are starting to turn. If the car senses you are starting to slide, it will apply breaks itself to slow you down to a safe speed. Stability control, ABS and other aids like that were banned in Formula 1 because it allowed the drivers to almost always just "floor it" and not worry about turns, road, whatever.

Anyway, ignorant fools will say "I don't need X, Y or Z" or it is "unsafe with X, Y, or Z" features and they don't even know how they work. Why are they using cars with power breaks? (Yes, your car has them and you don't even know it) Why do they use cars with automatic transmissions? Always-on lights? Cruise control? They are all unsafe, right?

Someone said that there is a battle between software engineers and universe. Software engineers are making software that is more and more idiot proof. The universe keeps making better idiots. So far the universe is winning.

A typical case of...

[Anonymous Coward]

Not Invented Here syndrome.

Engineer's Dream, Owner's Nightmare

[ShoobieRat]

Alright, while the concept is cool, how many of you think this will actually make it into homes or even warehouses?

I mean, this thing violates some standard laws of a sound product.

1. It has LOTS of moving parts.
2. If just one slat fails, the door fails.
3. It consumes power (and I would assume, plenty).
4. The cost and complexity does not outweigh the benifits. Even with an adaptive door like this, the climate-to-climate exchange is still high.

I think our Jap friends need to keep trying.

ehhhh

[Incontinent]

So retarded

Re:What are we supposed to view the video in?

[ratsg]

You know, there's a RealPlayer for Linux. It's not that bad either.

Of course, I use MPlayer + mplayerplug-in.

Problem solved, unless you're not on x86.ni-gul

Why should that matter whether your on an x86 system or not. Real Player (and MPlayer) both work well for me on my Sparc powered Solaris 10 system and my PowerPC MacOS X system.

x86 free since '93......

Funniest video

[tod_miller]

I love it how the thing doesn't actually work.

What if you legs aren't magically stuck together and do not trigger the central area.

Would be a kinda sexy concept, except one other thing - the draft of particles would be high because as you pass through the surface area of the hole s lowered, so any wind/draft cause a whip of dust and shit near your face.

Wish it did work, and looked all liquidy.