It’s the things we use most often in our lives, (almost daily, when it comes to automatic opening doors), that have the most fascinating histories, or at least a story to tell that you probably didn’t know.
It all started in Ancient Greece (as far as we know)
Considered by some as ‘the cradle of Western Civilization’ for its ideas in Politics, Art, Philosophy and Science, the period we refer to as Ancient Greece (12th Century BC to 600 AD) produced many wonders, and amongst those wonders, was the first prototype of the automatic door.
It was the mathematician Heron of Alexandria (you might not have heard of him, but he was a big name back then), who designed and built an automatic door that relied on a hydraulic system that utilized atmospheric pressure created from a fire.
To automate these primitive but ingenious power-assisted doors, Heron also used a series of containers of water that acted as weights, that when filled to specific levels, activated a set of pulleys and ropes, which in turn would open the doors to allow Homoiois, Freedmen, or anyone else to enter.
Then a few years later…
Despite early attempts at automatic door designs throughout the centuries, it wasn’t until the mid-1950s, that the technology required for automatic entrance doors began to progress and bring us a step closer to what we have today.
The story goes…
Two American engineers named Dee Horton and Lew Hewitt, were inspired by the high winds of Corpus Christi (a coastal city in South Texas USA), which rendered the simple act of opening a regular swing door difficult to say the least.
The two engineers put their heads together to come up with a design for a door that didn’t swing open, or stick shut as soon as it was hit by a slight breeze yet was still easy to open by those who wanted to enter or exit a property.
Horton and Hewitt’s first design for an automatic door (commercially available in 1960), was created using a mat actuator, which was basically a device located in the doormat that when compressed by someone stepping on it, activated the mechanism to open the doors.
And so began a new industry…
The Horton and Hewitt automatic door design ushered in a new era in automatic doors, making them a common sight in commercial buildings, offices, banks, and particularly retail establishments, throughout the world.
As you would imagine, this increased demand for automatic doors sped up automatic door technology, and in the 1970s, motion sensor opening doors emerged, removing the necessity for the mat actuators of the early days.
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At Reactive Doors we specialise in the design, installation and repair of all types of automatic door systems, including automatic sliding doors, automatic shop doors, and a whole range of automatic glass doors for commercial premises. Book your free (no-obligation) site survey today, using our handy online form.
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