Opening doors has been killing me lately, and I’ve been looking for a solution combining state-of-the-art mobile communications technology and plumbing. Luckily, MIT is nearby for just such situations. Recent grad Chris Varenhorst has given the world iDoor, a hydraulic door-control system controlled by his iPhone:
I spent my senior year living with this door, and besides having to replace a servo, it pretty much worked flawlessy. The only trouble was my hallmates hacking the door, and random EM noises doing weird things to it. I’m not sure if I’ve actually saved time in the long run, but it was definitely fun. Some of my favorite uses of the door are opening it remotely for friends that need to get stuff out of my room, (though it can be confusing for people that aren’t familiar with it). If I leave in a hurry, I can also just tell my phone to close my door when I remember later. Another good trick is opening and closing the door randomly during parties on my hall, confusing bystanders endlessly.
Via PopSci.
Posted by Brendan Lynch
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