Automatic door opener works without electricity

Engineering graduates with the University of Ontario Institute of Technology in Oshawa have developed an automatic door opening mechanism that does not need electricity to operate.
Mark Bernacki, Ben Fagan, Mike MacLeod and Matt Van Wieringen have applied for a patent in Canada and the U.S. for their pneumatic design.
The door opener stores compressed air every time the door is manually opened, and then uses the air’s stored energy for an assisted entry when someone needs it.
The door remains functional during emergency situations and is also energy efficient. The design is the same size as electric mechanisms and can easily be used to replace existing openers.
The prototype won first place at the UOIT Capstone Design competition in 2007 and one of the judges suggested the team of graduates should pursue the patent.
The supervising professor was Dr. Remon Pop-Iliev with the Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science.
The university’s Office of Technology Transfer and Commercialization (OTTC) is seeking partners from industry to support the door opener’s commercial development or to buy the patents.