3 curiosities about automatic doors

Automatic doors could well be considered one of the most welcome inventions of the Modern Era. They greatly facilitate access to and egress from residential communities, commercial premises and industrial areas. And if there’s one thing we like today, it’s speed.

But for sure there are many things you didn’t know about automatic doors. That’s why we are going to reveal three curiosities about the use, origin and operation of automatic door operators.

1. The first reference to an automatic door dates back to the 1st century AD.

Although it may seem that the automatic door is something relatively modern, we could say that the idea of a self-opening door was born more than 2,000 years ago. Specifically, Heron of Alexandria – a famous inventor – set out to create the first automatic door using the energy source that was in use at the time: steam! The energy obtained from the steam was used to operate an ingenious system of pulleys and transmissions to open the door. In the 19th century, the use of electric power became widespread. It was then that the automatic door mechanism was perfected using electric motors.

In 1921, the young C.G. Johnson created the first automatic lift-up garage door.

2. There are “pirate” automatic doors

There are mandatory regulations for automatic doors. Its objective is to guarantee basic safety parameters in terms of design, installation, use, accessibility and protection. However, there are automatic doors on the market that do not comply with these standards but are more attractive due to their lower price. However, they have generated serious safety problems in residential, commercial and industrial use. For this reason, the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Tourism has launched a campaign of inspections to monitor and sanction illegal automatic doors in order to reduce the impact of these incidents and promote their responsible use.

3. The world’s largest automatic door covers 75^m2.

Can you imagine an automatic glass door that goes all the way around a house? Well, it exists and it is in Mexico. This automatic door portent weighs a total of 4,000 kg.