Wow.

August 15, 2005 9:14 AM

The coolest door ever.
posted by delmoi (50 comments total)

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.

In the "coolest door ever" department? I didn't know we were racing.
posted by Witty at 9:20 AM on August 15, 2005

So really tall and fat people will waste more energy. Finally, proof.
posted by Peter H at 9:25 AM on August 15, 2005

Sure, Peter, but everyone will basically let in the same amount of dust and stuff.

Nice door.
posted by graventy at 11:15 AM on August 15, 2005

Ok, yeah, that is completely cool. And Witty, it's always a race where cool is concerned.
posted by OmieWise at 11:16 AM on August 15, 2005

Worst door ever. It seperates too slowly and at different times so that you can't stride through it like you can with a swinging plank of wood. It actually looks dangerous - some of the bars at head height were still closed whilst others were wide open further down. It would take some getting used to.
posted by fire&wings at 11:17 AM on August 15, 2005

"Does this door make my butt look big?"
posted by carter at 11:20 AM on August 15, 2005

Its an interesting door, that's for sure. But do we need such a specialized and expensive solution to a problem that could be alot more easily dealt with by making a mini-foyer entrance to keep in that "precious air-conditioning"?

Now, if the door said hello, gave me a blowjob, took off my shoes and rubbed my feet when I came home then it would be greatest door ever. This is merely cool.
posted by fenriq at 11:21 AM on August 15, 2005

I like to run through doorways while flailing my arms. I foresee problems here.
posted by delapohl at 11:21 AM on August 15, 2005

With so many moving parts I can forsee tripping problems if one of the lower bars fails to retract. It's an interesting idea, but are regular doors that bad?
posted by Alison at 11:24 AM on August 15, 2005

Vestibules, man.... vestibules.
posted by Witty at 11:25 AM on August 15, 2005

I mean, why bother with something so obviously impractical. I'd rather these guys hook me up with some sort of force-field door or maybe a plasma-membrane door.
posted by Witty at 11:27 AM on August 15, 2005

Does this door account for any bounce to a person's walk?

I ain't got no flat feet.
posted by dreamsign at 11:30 AM on August 15, 2005

So if one 'bar' is defective, say in a closed position, the whole door is fucked? And what if I decide to carry my manpurse on the other shoulder? :-) Just sayin'!
posted by mrhappysad at 11:30 AM on August 15, 2005

That thing would totally cut me in half.

How about the Heart of Gold doors, instead?
posted by selfnoise at 11:31 AM on August 15, 2005

I'm sorry, but those swinging doors in Old West saloons are still cooler. You can saunter through them, gun drawn, your long shadow falling across the bar, in preparation for the inevitable showdown. Alternately, if you're drunk and in a bar fight, it is relatively easy to throw or be thrown through these doors.

The perfect blend of form and function.
posted by maxsparber at 11:31 AM on August 15, 2005

I've seen cooler. (/cynic)
posted by drezdn at 11:36 AM on August 15, 2005

Vestibules... yeah. I expect that's why this is a Japanese invention - vestibules are probably somewhat pricey, square-meter-wise, in central Tokyo.
posted by Vetinari at 11:39 AM on August 15, 2005

You know, I'd never thought about those saloon doors. What was the point of them, exactly? I mean, they're not really doors per se. They don't stop anything, and they're a little small even for privacy's sake.
posted by selfnoise at 11:39 AM on August 15, 2005

You guys are silly.

Maybe this company is naive enough to think they have a broad audience, but I imagine their core target buyers are boutiques, clubs, etc.. where a cool door is a unique design element. I could see it as an interior door in a spa, it would serve very well to emphasize the difference in smell/feel between two rooms.

It has sensors and motors - if you wanted to give it beefy enough motors, you could make it respond pretty damn fast. Add an adjustable margin for "in door" movement, and an ability to look ahead to see your flailing arms, and maybe it would just sigh and open up all the way.
posted by Jack Karaoke at 11:44 AM on August 15, 2005

Revolving doors are essentially dynamic vestibules. I like the ones you sometimes see at hotels that are automated and 20+ feet in diameter.
posted by brain_drain at 11:44 AM on August 15, 2005

Heart of Gold doors? Sure, if you like getting aggravated with obsequeous portals.

Will this keep insects out, or will the door open individual slats to let them in?

I imagine this would be nice for pets, if you could get them to not run away from it at top velocity.

And, did anyone see, in Hercules Against The Moon Men, that scene where the old guy is wandering through the secret passage, and hidden spikes shoot out from the side of the wall, piercing him? Yeah, that's what this reminds me of. Great until it malfunctions.
posted by JHarris at 11:44 AM on August 15, 2005

Selfnoise: Great, now I'm not going to get any sleep tonight.
posted by elwoodwiles at 11:45 AM on August 15, 2005

A better door: The one to our minds. Think on it.
posted by ORthey at 11:46 AM on August 15, 2005

Heathens, all of you. Now, if they came in designer colors, with maybe trippy designs painted on one side, then I'd have to seriously consider purchasing one of these witchraft devices. Think of all the fun ways you could paint it, and play jokes on your friends.
posted by TheNakedPixel at 11:49 AM on August 15, 2005

I like those huge revolving doors as well. I've always wanted to try and ride my bike into and through one just to see how hard it would be.

And am I the only one that wonders what would happen if you put your hand in between the open space and the door frame? I'd hope they would have a stop and back off mechanism like in a garage door but what if they don't? I'm doing it left handed just in case it takes my hand.
posted by fenriq at 11:52 AM on August 15, 2005

This would look really cool in Dr Evil's bachelor pad! "SEND IN THE FEM-BOTS!" In terms of real world use I'll bet the military would love to install them at the Pentagon. They're accustomed to spending obscene amounts of money on simple things like doors and toilet seats.
posted by wavespy at 11:52 AM on August 15, 2005

The doors in most science fiction movies and TV series are just two weird puzzle shapes that slide sideways. This is much cooler.
posted by Jatayu das at 11:55 AM on August 15, 2005

I imagine their core target buyers are boutiques, clubs, etc.. where a cool door is a unique design element.

And clubs could put them at the front door, programmed to only admit thin people. Bouncers better start looking for new work!
posted by brain_drain at 11:57 AM on August 15, 2005

I for one welcome our new lawsuit generating side piercing Japanese doors.

Call me at 1-800-DOORLAW to listen to my 24 hour informational tape about how you can get the compensation you deserve for your door related injury.
posted by Outlawyr at 12:02 PM on August 15, 2005

I always thought the coolest doors were the "curtain of air" doors you'd see at Vegas casinos. They were definately "cool" temperature-wise, they were invisible, and they'd occasionaly freak out some tourist who felt this strong breeze coming from the ceiling.
posted by phirleh at 12:03 PM on August 15, 2005

dreamsign:
Does this door account for any bounce to a person's walk?

I ain't got no flat feet.


Now that's a most interesting comment. Just the other day, a martial arts teacher of mine was talking about how the Japanese were more connected to the ground than westerners, and how it is easy to pick out foreigners in moving crowds over there -- everyone moves smoothly while the foreigner's heads bounce up and down with their walk.

Just another thing we won't see for a while because we're not Japanese enough.... Oh well :)
posted by splice at 12:12 PM on August 15, 2005

I always liked the vertically hung strips of clear vinyl, myself. Keeps the AC in and the flies out, easy to push through when your hands are full, and self-sealing. Doesn't need any motors or sensors, either.
posted by alumshubby at 12:13 PM on August 15, 2005

Now, if the door said hello, gave me a blowjob, took off my shoes and rubbed my feet when I came home then it would be greatest door ever.

Ummm...I think you're looking for a doormat, not a door.
posted by kirkaracha at 12:15 PM on August 15, 2005

Japan has proven once again that it’s a least 10 years ahead of everyone else in inventing solutions to nonexistent problems.
posted by Lord Kinbote at 12:18 PM on August 15, 2005

This is awesome!

... to use in any movie about the "future" as one of those props that the characters interact with, it fails to work at all correctly, the character gets angry and hits it, and the audience is reminded of the stupidity underlying some, if not all, technical "innovation."
posted by odinsdream at 1:11 PM on August 15, 2005

I prefer these.
posted by dreamsign at 1:15 PM on August 15, 2005

The coolest door ever.

No.


What is wrong with you people? Five hours and nobody's made that joke?
posted by Extopalopaketle at 2:39 PM on August 15, 2005

Less functional, but more beautiful.
posted by Civil_Disobedient at 2:39 PM on August 15, 2005

Revolving doors are essentially dynamic vestibules. I like the ones you sometimes see at hotels that are automated and 20+ feet in diameter.

Ugh, I used to go through one of those twice a day. They suck. They move too slow for most people, but if you push them, they stop. The person who pushed gets confused and keeps pushing, snarling traffic for everyone.
posted by hydrophonic at 2:46 PM on August 15, 2005

kirkaracha, if a doormat can do it, that's fine too.

And, in regards to this being in Dr. Evil's lair, it would almost certainly malfunction to hilarious result. Tripping him, smacking him in the face and the obligatory nut shot, of course!

Damn, somebody get Mike Myers on the phone, we've got enough material for two more Austin Powers' movies. Three if we replace the door with a big honkin' revolving door between 2 and 3.
posted by fenriq at 3:19 PM on August 15, 2005

Nobody will realize just how cool these doors are until Apple puts their logo on them and sells them for twice as much. Then they'll be revolutionary!
posted by Foosnark at 3:21 PM on August 15, 2005

THE DOORS MUST BE STOPPED!
posted by TwelveTwo at 3:42 PM on August 15, 2005

I like he she brings a Barbapapa punching bag through the door at one point in the clip.
posted by ktoad at 4:07 PM on August 15, 2005

I mean "I like how she brings..."
posted by ktoad at 4:07 PM on August 15, 2005

Hydro, revolving doors are looked at with suspicion now in japan, since a kid's head goit crushed in one last year at a new shopping/entertainment complex in Tokyo. Now they have been set to revolve too slowly and have guards standing by and lotsof warning stickers.

The sensors and control system definitely have to be improved on that door, so that a) you can actually pass through the freaking door and b) it makes a cool shape like in the Gizmodo illustration. That's mandatory. But, as they said in the video, an actually practical use would be for walk-in refrigerators and freezers. When I worked in catering in college, it was always a pain to get into the freezer while carrying big cardboard cartons of meat or ice cream or whatever.
posted by planetkyoto at 5:15 PM on August 15, 2005

Who the hell is Austin Powers?
posted by iron chef morimoto at 6:23 PM on August 15, 2005

What the hell is Iron Chef?

(Nice name tho. Seems like someone like that would be awesome in a TV show about dubbed over cookathons with a panel of b-list celebrities.)
posted by Happydaz at 6:38 PM on August 15, 2005

I always liked the vertically hung strips of clear vinyl, myself.
I do too--i rarely see them anymore tho.

That door's too weird--if you walk in at an angle, does it not open enough?
posted by amberglow at 7:21 PM on August 15, 2005

This is my favorite (ok fine it's a gate).
posted by themadjuggler at 7:41 PM on August 15, 2005

Who the hell is Austin Powers?

No offense, but I just saw this, and it seems the perfect (snarky) response.
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 11:15 PM on August 15, 2005