Public Reaction
May 15, 2008 · Print This Article
Here are just some of the comments we’ve received regarding the Disappearing Car Door:
Date: 11/29/2007 10:21:01 PM
Message: Whoa! The future has arrived!
Date: 11/28/2007 8:16:08 AM
Message: the wheel has been re invented!
Date: 12/8/2007 6:38:50 PM
Message: I just have to say this….few think of ideas and still fewer put them to practice. Simply amazing!
Date: 12/16/2007 7:09:49 PM
Message: Thank goodness someone has the insight to be creative!!! I would love to have a car with this door system…GOOD WORK !!!!!
Date: 11/26/2007 4:28:08 PM
Message: This should be mandatory on every car. Fantastic Idea.
Date: 12/9/2007 12:58:52 PM
Message: Great new concept. I nominate you for the “atta-boy club”. The world needs people like you.
Date: 1/21/2008 12:27:58 AM
Message: THIS IS THE MOST INOVATIVE AND AWESOME IDEA TO HIT THE MARKET PLACE FOR AUTOMOBILES IN A VERY LONG TIME. HURRAH FOR YOU ALL. I REALLY WOULD LOVE TO HAVE THIS BUT KNOW I COULD NOT AFFORD IT. HURRY AND GET IT INTO PRODUCTION SO EVERYONE CAN AFFORD THIS. AWESOME!
Date: 2/15/2008 7:16:18 PM
Message: I’ve been blown out of my mind with this new invention, this product will finally take us into the future diminishing all other conversions of doors from lambo,gull wind, suicide, etc..Thank you for everything!!!!
Date: 11/23/2007 8:18:59 AM
Message: Dear Sir;
This idea of a disappearing Door is the best idea I’ve seen in a long time…it will take off like a Rocket as you well know. I view your idea and car as Motion In Steel! And a wonderful way of expressing pure enjoyment when it comes to comfort.
Message: This is an amazing breakthrough. I commend your engineers and design team. Totally amazing…
Date: 12/18/2007 9:55:47 AM
Subject: Brilliant!
Love it! Finally a Fresh New idea!
The car companies come out each year and say how they’ve changed their designs so dramatically - meanwhile, they only change the grill and taillights.
Bravo!
Date: 11/26/2007 10:15:18 PM
Message: BRILLIANT. Good on the pommies for showing such initiative. I can see this going MUCH further. CONGRATULATIONS
Date: 2/28/2008 7:03:14 AM
Subject: WOW!!!! (UNCLASSIFIED)
Message: I saw this and was AMAZED.If it meets safety standards crash test,
airbags, etc. I predict it will be the new standard! What is the
latest news?
Date: 12/2/2007 4:18:12 PM
Message: Congratulations on the creativity and the considerable investment you’ve obviously made.
Now … are you in negotiations with any auto makers?
Your solution is elegant and simple.
Clearly the finest implementations would come on cars specifically designed to incorporate your door.
Date: 2/12/2008 10:58:10 PM
Greetings from Australia
Message: My wish for your company is that soon every car produced will be
fitted with this amazing technology?
Date: 12/19/2007 8:11:59 AM
Message: Absolutely brilliant!
Date: 12/10/2007 6:58:13 AM
Too bad this isn’t readily available. It would be a great help to oldsters and the handicapped. I would definitely be interested.
You get five stars for this one.
Date: 12/20/2007 12:22:35 PM
Message: You are on the cutting edge with this product. I think your endeavor
will be well accepted in the auto crowd. Now if only the car
manufacturers would just listen to the wants of the public…what a
novel idea!!
Northrop Grumman Technical Services
Date: 12/16/2007 11:09:17 PM
Nice to see a rethinking of something so obvious … and apparently up to now elusive. Full Marks!
Date: 12/19/2007 8:11:59 AM
Message: Absolutely brilliant!
Date: 12/3/2007 3:15:03 PM
Congratulations
Being a designer myself I really appreciate a new great idea. I hope you have the success the idea deserves.
3/19/2008
I would have to say that is the coolest idea anyone has ever had! I love it!
3/18/2008
This has got to be the coolest invention EVER! When will this be available and how much will it be roughly?
If you have a comment to add, please feel free to do so in the comments section below.
What a terrific idea, with my wife’s medical condition it would fit right in and make life a whole lot easier. My question is, how available is it and approximately what would be the cost to fit the door to a vehcile? Also is it only looking at GM and Ford at the present?
Ralph Elliott
Toledo Ohio
you have a very difficult problem if hit in the side door. It will no longer function as shown! It is an interesting idea but far from a position to rely completely on!
Any damage to the door creates a problem, otherwise it seems like a nice idea but almost impossible to create completely in a safe operating manner at all times situation!
How does the door open in power is lost?
i am ready to buy! how much and when will i be able to
have one or four! i make show cars and restore muscle cars
this is an idea who’s time has come!!!!!!!!!
I am concerned about the use of this concept when the weather is rainy, snowy, windy, etc. Is this as protective as the standard doors of the autos today?
First impression is “How cool!”.
If it meets all safety testing criteria, this has to be rated as the most improved idea in car design. I love it and hope to see it incorporated in all new car design as soon as possible. It should not be relegated to an “option”.
Absolutley Wonderful Idea. When I think of all the people that are health afflicted that these doors could help. it would help them get around easier
thier lifestyle would change 360 degrees. Bravo to you and your company
I am amazed by this technology.Truly leading edge!!!
However, what happens when it is bucketting down with rain????
Fantastic invention! Would love to see this in all make/models…One quesion though. How do you get in/out if your battery is dead or you are involved in an accident? Is there an emergency release?
This is absolutely a great idea. Unfortunately the price will be so high that only a few will be able to afford it.
WHAT ABOUT SIDE DOOR IMPACT BAGS?
Where do I sign up for these on my MARK VIII? How much?
Great idea.Hopefully comes to fruition in my lifetime.So practical the “Big 3″ will probably try to stop it.Another great extension of this idea would be for sides of a pickup truck bed.Congrats for thinking “outside the box”!!
A good idea, especially for reducing accidents involving motorcyclists and pedal cyclists. I do have some concerns about it being a single door for both front and rear passengers. On most cars now you have child locks to stop the kids getting out of the back without somebody opening the door from the outside. Also with only one window per side, if you as a front seat occupant wish to have the window down then the person in the rear has no choice in the matter.
Dear sirs,
We have approached you months ago regarding to Distributorship in Thailand. Here is our question on its functionality. In my country has a long rainy season and many times it floods the road to certain height. Will this affect the use of rotary drop doors?
Thanks & Regards,
Chatchai
This is totally “Wicked Cool!” I have a Show Car PT Cruiser and this would put some the ones that used the”Lambo” doors and Gull Wing doors to Shame!! No reason that wouldn’t take the “Best of Show Award” Two Thumbs way up from me!!!! Let me know when you have the design ready for the PT Cruiser!! I’d be willing to drive out and let you use my PT Cruiser for a model to show off! Great Job!!!!
That is pretty cool but I have a few concerns:
1. What if it rains - water will get everywhere.
2. If the door malfuctions…. you can’t drive your car at all. Or in the case of ice/frost that is a lot of melting you would have to do.
3. And if you are in a rush or in a dangerous situation you may be putting yourself at risk because the door is slow to close.
Oh WOW!!! Where and when can I get one??? Don’t make us wait! LOVED it!
What about inclement weather? This means that rain, snow, sleet , hail and blowing dust have a great open portal. Otherwise, I like the idea. I could see another drawback - ‘car jacking’ from parking lots. There would have to be a ’safety factor’ built in so that the ‘little’ ones would not get injured - thereby giving a potential car jacker easy access.
I do think is is a great idea, as obviously many here do; however, I am concerned about one aspect of such a door’s safety. Though I have no doubt that the door makes the car more structurally sound and safer for car accidents themselves, what happens after the car accident? If a person falls unconscious, how will the paramedics get into the car? Basically, won’t it be more difficult to get out of the car after an accident has occurred?
Let’s talk about the unfortunate, because it does happen.
You crash your car headon into a tree.
The doors are crunched shut.
The Fire Department comes. This isn’t ordinarily a problem for them!
They get their Halligan Bar to pry open the door and get you out, except… the doors cannot be pried open.
(See where I’m going with this?)
How do the passengers get out in case of power failure? Although it was mentioned that “integration” of the door to the body actually adds safety for the passengers inside, No mention of emergency evacuation was made which potentially could trap you in the car in certain situations. How about trying to open that door when it’s snowing or worse, during a heavy downpour. It may be fancy and it may be sexy and convenient for certain situations, but is it practical?
All of the pictures were taken in the sunshine. It would seem to be a real draw back when it is raining and you need to get in or out quickly. The whole car would be soaked before the door would be closed. If the electronic system should fail you would not have any recourse to get in or out, is there is a backup manual system. If the car is in a wreck, could the door system be replaced? To many negatives for me.
I love this concept. Now, add in some Swivel Bucket Seats for the Driver and Passenger such as the ones which were available in the Chevrolet Monte Carlo during the 70’s and you would undoubtedly have the vehicle with the highest ease of ingress/egress ever.
Since I (And Millions of others) have Arthritis which makes it hard to bend, I am usually looking at my next vehicle with an eye towards exactly that….How easy is it to get in and out of?
Anyway - Kudos to you - I hope the auto manufacturers open their minds and work with you on this.
Steve
Appears that here, form does indeed follow function. However, there IS the question of how elimination of the door pillar and/or lengthening of the door will affect safety crash test results.
Just a question: Can I park the car and leave the windows open, either fully or part way?
From the video, looks like when the door opens, of course the window has to go all the way down to allow the occupants to enter or exit the vehicle. But when the door closes, will the window return to it’s previous half-open position?
-John Davies
On a side-impact crash, will the door be harder or easier to open than the current designs?
Firemen often use the “jaws-of-life” to pry open vehicles to extract the occupants, does this new design hinder or help in emergency extractions?
-John Davies
I can only agree with the other positive remarks about this concept.
It is brilliant and agree that it should be standard in all suitable cars.
Great Job!
Kirk
Brilliant!
Where can i get one, it’s tauntingly calling for me to get it!
I want it! How much? I don’t want it on a new vehicle though I want it on my older Benzs
Your product is very impressive. I have created a link and emailed my Membership (esiss.com) to check out your site. Very impressive.
This is amazing and will work for many people but I can see problems. This door would make it easy for someone to attack or high jack a person. Is there a way that you have or could make it safe for a person in a dangerous area like a dark parking area?
Wow! This is a totally amazing concept. One of the things I thought of, besides the ease of entry and exit, was no more smashed fingers for the kiddies.
when can i buy one
It looks very interesting, but the first question spoken by everyone I’ve shown this to, and which is not directly addressed on your web site, is how or what is done to compensate for the loss of the “B” pillar?
Rotating doors is a fantastic concept.
The single door per side configuration is elegant.
2 doors per side may be more practical.
2 doors and windows per side allows each occupant the ability to open or close the window next to them independently of everybody else.
I prefer a B pillar configuration.
Is that doable?
Is there a manual override if the automatic door raising mechanism should falter?
Great innovation! I really like your retractable doors for automotive applications. My question is; Would your company or affilliates be offering a retrofit system for custom car builders who, like myself, prefer to install modifications on our own vehicles? Thank you in advance! GGM.
THAT THANG IS LIVE
I do not like the idea other than for the fact that I would not get
dings and scratches on my car. I see that you only show this
idea when the weather is good. I feel that everything - including
me and [my] child and the interior of the vehicle - would get wet from the rain and the snow.
I also feel that in this day and age, this type of door would be
VERY UNSAFE from assailants, in any circumstance. Also,
only ONE child is shown and the child is in a safety seat. What about those children that can, and do, get out of the car before the
mom or dad? I know you say “train them up.”
Invention is good, but I’m sorry I would not be happy with this type of car door. Thanks for listening!
I love the look, and the idea is really creative. My one concern would be that if you were involved in a car accident and you become trapped, how would you get out. If the door does not have a handle on the inside and the car is disabled there is virtually no way to escape.
I think this concept is quite interesting. I saw and read your ‘advantages’ page, but did not locate a FAQ page. I live in Wisconsin, and there are a couple things that I’d like to know based on the weather we have here.
1) Can the door be opened/closed manually? With cold temps, dead or low batteries are unfortunately common.
2) Along with cold temps, there is also the consideration of snow and ice. Any testing done or planned on frozen doors? What about the ice/snow build-up that accumulates behind each wheel from driving in snow - Can it get into the area where the door goes?
This is a horrible idea. What if its raining? Wait for it to pass while so your car doesn’t flood? Car accident? Oh we will have to just cut the car in half cause your disappearing door seems to be malfunctioning. Dukes of hazard style is the only way to go. Sad thing is, people will pay thousands of dollars for this.
I really think you have a unique system. It definitely would help alot of people in this world. I guess my biggest question to you is; Is it going to be an AFFORDABLE option for most people, or is it going to be a toy for people with the extra money to spend on a product that is to far out of a price range that the average person can afford?
Thanks,
Clifton S. Rogers
Kilgore, Texas
Wonderful idea but, what happens when it rains or for that matter snows? Your video was shot in perfect weather which we all know changes. So, how about it? Show a video of this door in action in the rain and snow.
A terrific idea, no doubt about that. Getting Ford, GM, et. al. to adopt such a fine 21st century idea is about like teaching a pig to whistle.
Not only will the pig not learn the technique, he’ll probably get angry in the process.
Try the Japaneese, they embrace the future, not frustrate it!!!
As someone who lives in a state where daily rain is a common occurance I do have one question. What do you do when it rains. The entire interior of the car would get wet when the door was opened. Don’t get me wrong I think that it is a great idea but it does have its flaws.
watch video think the doors be gr8 but for heaveier people or men i think the seats should still fold down like in a 2 door car
Although a fantastic idea, and very high on the ‘cool’ factor, in an emergency such as an accident where power is lost there is no ability to quickly open or remove the door.
Current doors of the “old fashioned” two hinge idea require simple muscle power, in most cases, to pry open and access the inside of the vehicle. On some occasions, a hydraulic ram is used to force the panels apart and the jaws of life can rapidly snip the two hinges allowing the door to fall away. A benefit too of current doors is that when opened they move away from the vehicle. This means that even if the car body is disfigured and no longer structural, they can still be opened or removed easily.
With the design of the dissapearing door it appears that once in place it cannot be manually opened and must rely on the electric mechanism for it to slide down a set of rails and underneath into an area that could be distorted or blocked
It may not add a long period of time, but when someone is trapped in a car, minutes can mean a lifetime.
I think this is a milestone in automotive design. However, I do have a performance issue to question. I live in the north eastern region of the United States where the winters can be severe to say the least. How will this new design be an improvemrnt over the old design in terms of frozen doors, locks, and windows?
Toe Jam
Looks stunning, great job, guys!
However, a concern immediately popped up in my head, namely, did you have to sacrifice door interior bits?
I think you should make a video of door opening/closing from inside the car too, to allay my concern and also to show off your tech!
How much does this system affect the weight of the vehicle compared with that of regular doors in either a 2 or 4 door configuration?
Greetings from Sweden.
What about rain and snow?
Wont it get more snow and rain into the car then conventional doors?
Sign me up!! This is an awesome idea!!
I was somewhat shaky on the idea at first: none of the doors within the promotional footage were fitted to cars I would actually want to drive.
But then it dawned on me: The price-range probably makes this a costly extra and then additional weight issues also probably detract from the performance of the car.
While my initial worries over problems such as power failure, dirt and door-performance under unusual conditions were quenched by the FAQ, this is a technology I wouldn’t be interested in until I saw it actually fitted to a consumer vehicle that I recognize or a high-performance vehicle (at which point, it becomes a thing of desire and something to aspire to, just as the vehicle would).
In conclusion:
1. Who is your target audience?
2. What is costing like?
3. Can this be fitted to an existing vehicle on, as a modification or is specialized engineering required to fit such a system?
4. Do you have figures for market penetration ?
5. Have you approached/been approached by any automobile companies at this time?
This won’t be taken seriously until people see it on road-going cars - even if it’s rare.
How much does this thing cost?
Are there cars for sale already with these doors, And if not when will you expect the first car? And what would be the price of such doors?
this is a nice idea - will it be costly to buy? also what is it like in an accident? as regular doors if needed can be taken off, can these? also are their airbags in the doors like regular car doors?
Fantastic idea! How do I get them installed on my car? How much? Where can i find out?
Why stop with the door, should include the seats to be able to rotate to face out.
Fantastic idea! It looks superb and you’ve covered all grounds including safety. I can’t wait to start seeing this in the market. I just hope it will be affordable!
I’m very intrigued by this new idea. Moving a door completely out of the way without interfering with other vehicles is a remarkable achievement.
My concern with this is if power is lost, how is the door retracted? I can see a safety issue if egress has to be made quickly and there is no vehicle power. I also think training for EMS and fire rescue in procedures they would have to perform would be required. Have you developed such possible training?
Thanks very much for this opportunity, I do welcome a change like this.
Fantastic idea! On second thought, it occured to me that this car will be great boost for those who specialize in cleaning the car interiors of blowing leaves, debris, and sand.
Which raises another question: how does California & Arizona’s blowing desert sands affect the doors’ gears/motors/etc?? We found that, despite our best efforts, the fine sand got into gears, hinges, etc where you least expected it.
Gorgeous design, but not quite sure of its practicality weather-wise.
Awesome render guys. That last shot of a car pulling up to/ driving away from a club was incredible!
public car auctions…
How can I subscribe to your blog?…
THE BEST INVENTION EVER VERY UNIQUE. I WOULD LOVE TO GET MY CAR DOORS LIKE THAT
Thanks for the link. Sounds like interesting read
Words can’t express your significance. ,
this is the best new thing to hit me in a long time i love it,,,hope the system
can work on my car
I am blown away by this product…..my wife suffered a near fatal car accident a few years ago and has been left with some mobility issues which often make it difficult for her to get in and out of a vehicle……this product would be fantastic for her! And how we could have used it at the time when she was confined to a wheelchair…it would have made life so much easier for her! I think you should begin testing it and/or promoting it as “wheelchair friendly”!
Can it be retrofitted to any vehicle? (I.E. My Trailblazer?????)
Is it approved for use in Canada???
Can you send details of it’s cost to me????
Keep up the good work and get in touch with some T.V. science shows (like “Daily Planet” or “MotorWeek”)to spread the news further!
Andrew Hill
Hi
I like your posts, It makes me thinking.
how much, when can i get them?
Monday I hiked the Ventanna Canyon trail. I started at 3: 30 in the afternoon- hot part of the day, I know, but I wanted to be back before dinner. I packed a bottle of water, a broad sun hat and layered on the sunscreen. The trail itself winds through private land for a mile or so before entering national parklands. It’s a rocky and winding trail, crossing a dry creek bed repeatedly as is slowly climbs into the canyon. The trail is lined with saguaro cactus, other cactus of every type, the occasional accaia…
Awesome idea, something new after a long long time. Make it affordable please!!!! and just a thought, maybe you guys should check out speed racer 5 features, that would be nice to have in my car too.
WOW! When can I get mine?!
I see only 2 door examples. Would a 4 door configuration just have one big door. Are they all electric power up and down? Does the overall height of the car need to be raised to accomodate the doors in the down position? Can the windows still be opened without opening the door? As someone earlier mentioned, I would wonder how it would do in our Ohio Winters.
Dear Sir,
I think the disappearing door is the greatest invention man kind has seen. I am concerned with it, What will you do when it rains or snows? I think you will be leaving the inside of the car wide open for nature’s damage….. Not a major problem just a concern.
Other than that the new technology is amazing I mean my jaw dropped to the ground when I watched the video.
What a fantastic product ideal for our narrow UK garages, no more car park dings, safety in flowing traffic.
This idea should be enforced on all new vehicles. Johnny Clay
costs?
Wow. You guys are fantastic!!!! Do you already have agents in South America? I am very interrested!!!! Can you inform the ballpark price to do it? Any limitation? Thank you and congratulations, this is awsome!!!!!
There does not appear to be a link to show what make cars can be fitted, nor what the approximate price may be.
Nice idea, but how does one go about buying it??
I think it is a great idea but how will you support 4 doors & 5 doors cars & SUV and keeping the structure integrity of the frame?
we all know that the door frame is part of the structure of the vehicle and the prototype is working on frameless 2 door vehicles.
I still think it is a good idea and starting point of using a better way of opining car doors.
Amazingly cool, I can’t wait to see it on production vehicles!
I am wondering about it performance in winter conditions i.e. snow, ice, salt and other junk that cars collect during normal driving. Also, what about manual operation incase of power or motor failure. more information on this would be great.
Keep it up!
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Is this product available outside the US? Whawould the cost be for a 4×4 grand Jeep Cherokee?
This is a breakthrough indeed. However, I am concerned about the chances of survival (when compare to conventional doors) in the event of water immersion with loss of power and the reliability of the motors used to operate the door (do you provide a manual overide as in garage door openers?) How does the side impact strength compare to conventional doors?
Power Failure Operation
The vehicles are equipped with Manual Override Interior and Exterior
for Power Failure operation.
Inclement Weather
Our wet weather testing of a Disappearing Car Door on a
Lincoln Mark VIII against a baseline standard MarkVIII
proved that the Disappearing Car Door vehicle kept the
occupants dryer during entry/egress exercises than the
standard Mark VIII.
The amount of rain or snow coming
into the vehicle is less than a standard vehicle in most cases.
The door retracts into a clean dry pocket which also allows
normal ground clearance at all times.
The extended door on the
Mark VIII’s shown in the current video is an option which affords
greatly improved access to the rear seats of a 2-Door Coupe.
Crashes
Our structural integration technology assures that the doors reintegrate
with the unibody/chassisframe front and rear. They are also equipped with
our proprietary Cruciform Side Intrusion Beam. Therefore there was no loss
of torsional rigidity with the ‘b’ pillar was removed.
We have completed highly satisfactory crash tests of
these technologies at a major Detroit equipment supplier.
Access and Escape for Passengers after an Accident.
Jatech has developed a Proprietary Access/Escape System
which is built into every Disappearing Door vehicle.
An Impact Sensor releases all latches after a short
built-in time lapse to allow for secondary impacts.
The door can then be pushed outwards to the ground as
there are no hinges to hold front end of the door in place.
According to a study involving Paramedics, Firemen and other
accident responding personnel, access to passengers is much
improved in any severe accident situation.
Power Failure Operation
The vehicles are equipped with Manual Override Interior and Exterior
for Power Failure operation.
Crashes
Our structural integration technology assures that the doors reintegrate
with the unibody/chassisframe front and rear. They are also equipped with
our proprietary Cruciform Side Intrusion Beam. Therefore there was no loss
of torsional rigidity with the ‘b’ pillar was removed.
We have completed highly satisfactory crash tests of
these technologies at a major Detroit equipment supplier.
Jatech has developed a Proprietary Access/Escape System
which is built into every Disappearing Door vehicle.
An Impact Sensor releases all latches after a short
built-in time lapse to allow for secondary impacts.
The door can then be pushed outwards to the ground as
there are no hinges to hold front end of the door in place.
According to a study involving Paramedics, Firemen and other
accident responding personnel, access to passengers is much
improved in any severe accident situation.
Power Failure Operation
The vehicles are equipped with Manual Override Interior and Exterior
for Power Failure operation.
Inclement Weather
Our wet weather testing of a Disappearing Car Door on a
Lincoln Mark VIII against a baseline standard MarkVIII
proved that the Disappearing Car Door vehicle kept the
occupants dryer during entry/egress exercises than the
standard Mark VIII.
The amount of rain or snow coming
into the vehicle is less than a standard vehicle in most cases.
The door retracts into a clean dry pocket which also allows
normal ground clearance at all times.
This was only done as a design exercise. This vehicle is safer than any other as it reintegrates with the chassis front and rear in the closed position.
Window position does not effect door operation