On March 14, 2024, we held a launch event for Mirairo Door, jointly developed by our company with Mirairo Inc. and Fulltech Corporation, at the Fulltech Hibiya Office. The event attracted a wide range of participants, including various media outlets, policy officials, and university researchers, reflecting the high level of social interest in initiatives toward universal design.
Mirairo Door is a new-era automatic door that can optimize the operation method according to the attributes of people passing through. Through joint development by Fulltech and , we realized a mechanism that automatically adjusts the automatic door operation method in coordination with smartphones. Furthermore, with the participation of Mirairo, which is well-versed in universal design, we defined and implemented optimal operation methods according to disability types and attributes. Automatic doors, which previously could only move uniformly, have evolved further toward universal design through the power of digital technology.
At the launch event, the three companies—Mirairo, Fulltech, and —first provided an explanation of Mirairo Door. Mirairo President Toshiya Kakiuchi discussed how the spread of Mirairo Door is precisely what society demands today, viewing it from the perspective of inclusive design progress. Fulltech Vice President Motoaki Furuno explained the background leading to the development of Mirairo Door and the service overview. Our company's President Futa Asada introduced the technology supporting Mirairo Door, focusing on the smartphone app and the automatic door-dedicated controller Smart Door Controller (SDC).
In the demonstration and experience section of Mirairo Door, we used the actual Mirairo Door installed at the Fulltech Hibiya Office, allowing attendees to observe how it provides optimal operation methods tailored to users, voice guidance, and signage displays through coordination with smartphones.
- People with visual impairments using white canes
For people with visual impairments, a challenge has been not knowing where automatic doors or touch switches are located. With Mirairo Door, when a user carrying a smartphone with the app approaches the automatic door, a guidance chime sounds to indicate its position. As they get closer, message-based guidance plays, and the guidance chime continues until the door closes. The automatic door begins opening earlier than usual, extends the opening time, and slows the closing speed. Even with touch-switch automatic doors, the door opens without requiring touch. We demonstrated these operation methods and coordination with voice guidance. - People with lower limb disabilities using wheelchairs
Mirairo President Kakiuchi demonstrated as a person with lived experience. While explaining common difficulties when passing through automatic doors in wheelchairs—such as when the automatic door is on a slope or the touch switch is at an unreachable height—he showed how Mirairo Door allows barrier-free passage by carrying a smartphone with the app. The automatic door begins opening earlier than usual, extends the opening time, and slows the closing speed. With touch-switch automatic doors, the door opens without requiring touch. - People who need support information
Content tailored to users is displayed on signage installed beside the automatic door. For example, it is possible to display maps showing the locations of accessible restrooms and elevators for wheelchair users.
In the final Q&A session, many specific questions were raised regarding the implementation of Mirairo Door, and we could feel the great expectations of the participants. Additionally, some participants shared that the authentic voices of people with lived experience, including wheelchair user Mirairo President Kakiuchi and those shared with Mirairo Research, carried significant weight and led to new insights. We believe we were able to deepen understanding of both the challenges facing automatic doors and the advanced nature and significance of Mirairo Door.
We sincerely thank you for participating in the launch event.
Going forward, we will proceed with implementation in spaces used by diverse people, such as public facilities and commercial facilities, while listening to users' voices and updating the service to make it even more user-friendly.