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    'Star Trek' door tech comes to the kitchen

    'Star Trek' door tech comes to the kitchen

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    Star Trek automatic sliding door technology comes to the home at last with Alex Shakespeare's implementation. It uses a pneumatic arm, IR sensors, magnetometers, and air compressor in both manual and automatic modes.

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    star trek door

    Automatic doors have been around for so long that we barely even think of them as technology, but maybe it all comes down to the execution. Alex Shakespeare certainly thinks so — he's rigged his kitchen with a Star Trek-style pneumatic sliding door, complete with "whoosh" sound. The device is controlled by an Arduino microcontroller, a pneumatic arm, and an air compressor, and can be remotely opened and closed by sliding a magnetic puck across the kitchen surface. Alternatively, IR sensors handle automatic operation for fans of supermarket-style activation. For those of you considering this home improvement, check the video below to see how it's done.