Page 17 of Design for our future selves 2001 Awards by Helen Hamlyn Research Centre - Royal College of Art

15 Sebastien Tran Dinh/Industrial Design Engineering door indicator A simple device integrated into the door handle, which indicates whether a room is occupied or not. From the inside of the room, pushing the button activates a colour signal that is also visible outside and stops the rotation of the handle. From the outside, the colour is red when occupied, but the lock can be opened by pushing a button to de-activate the locking system. The door is therefore never completely locked but relies on visual coding to indicate use. Special application is in the domestic area where older people and children can be reached in the case of an emergency.

[close]