How the heck do the automatic doors work?

[tim0122]

Watching Trek again, I'm puzzled by how the automatic doors work. They're not like motion detection doors we see in businesses or the like. Sometimes people will stand right in front of them and nothing happens. Sometimes people need to invite others in. I don't think it's a matter of private vs. public rooms, because I swear I've seen instances of private quarter doors opening when someone comes near one in one instance and then needing prompting to open in the same scene. Maybe I'm remembering things wrong, but the way doors work seems inconsistent. Thoughts? Knowledge? Geeky debate?

 

[DonIago]

It is inconsistent, because it's a TV show. You can speculate as to how they should work, but I doubt you'll come up with a solution that's internally consistent.

Just like with stardates or trying to map warp speeds to the known distances between locations in the franchise.

 

[locborg]

Probably an AI algorithm driven by the main computer which checks if the person really wants to open the door or at least has a valid reason to open it.

Everything is powered by AI on starfleet vessels

 

[F. King Daniel]

In TAS we see a motion detector just above floor level. But yeah, that combined with advanced AI that must watch everyone at all times on a ship that never seems to have security footage when needed.

 

[AntonyF]

There are people behind the scenes, and the pull cables that open the doors when the character has finished their lines. It's as simple as that.

They know they're finished as they have the script.

 

[Paul Weaver]

They channel the power of the Heisenburg compensator through a self-sealing stembolt

Probably an AI algorithm driven by the main computer which checks if the person really wants to open the door or at least has a valid reason to open it.

The likely closest thing, but there are times when the door doesn't open due to an unpredictable event causing the passer to stop (such as a though occuring to them). Even if an AI could predict that thought would occur, it would not be able to 100% predict the exact second that thought occurred, resulting in people either walking into doors, or doors opening when they shouldn't. We rarely see those events, and they are almost always explained by other means.

Short of some FTL messaging used to send corrections back in time I can't think of a reasonable in-universe way they would work, and if they can use that technology to power doors, why not other systems.

 

[NCC-73515]

During a studio tour, a piece of the Voyager corridor was just standing there, and the guide showed us how the ropes pull the doors open, ending with: "Oh, I'm killing a dream!"

 

[WarpTenLizard]

I never noticed that but now I won't be able to unsee it.

Those doorsand the Universal Translatior might operate on a kind of artificial telepathy.

 

[CorporalCaptain]

In TAS we see a motion detector just above floor level. But yeah, that combined with advanced AI that must watch everyone at all times on a ship that never seems to have security footage when needed.

And listening to everything everybody says, too, in conjunction with interpreting their body language, to comprehend what they're saying, at least with respect to determining whether they're really speaking computer commands, trying to open comm channels, etc. Interpreting body language is evidently something needed to determine whether to open doors.

 

[Paul Weaver]

I never noticed that but now I won't be able to unsee it.

Those doorsand the Universal Translatior might operate on a kind of artificial telepathy.

The universal translator has two elements, one is translating known languages (say Vulcan to Klingon). Given that today we can get earbuds which do realtime translation that seems reasonable.

The second is the ability to learn a new language and communicate fluently in seconds, as we see on occasion (especially in Voyager), but given that in real life we have no idea how an alien language would work I think that bit has to go into suspension of disbelief, in the same way that aliens in Trek are basically humans with human traits and human norms.

 

[CorporalCaptain]

In its first appearance, the universal translator was stated to be able to scan brainwave patterns. From TOS: "Metamorphosis":

(Spock is working on the Universal Translator. It is basically a metal tube nearly a foot long, that can be held in the hand.)​

COCHRANE: What's the theory behind this device?​

KIRK: There are certain universal ideas and concepts common to all intelligent life. This device instantaneously compares the frequency of brainwave patterns, selects those ideas and concepts it recognises, and then provides the necessary grammar.​

SPOCK: Then it translates its findings into English.​

COCHRANE: You mean it speaks?​

KIRK: With a voice or the approximation of whatever the creature is on the sending end. Not one hundred percent efficient, but nothing ever is. Ready, Mister Spock?​

SPOCK: Quite ready, Captain.​

KIRK: Mister Cochrane, call the Companion.​

There may be multiple versions of the universal translator device, such as for use at long range that don't do the brainwave scanning. The brainwave scanning could be needed primarily to learn new languages and not be as necessary to do, say, verbal translation over subspace radio.

There's also the concept of linguacode introduced in TMP. It could also be that long-range communication routinely involves the sender doing some of the heavy lifting by translating the message into a universal code that assists the receiver's translation. But that's really another topic.

 

[JesterFace]

I have also wondered about this, walking near a door might not open it if a character isn't going to walk through.
Then I thought it doesn't bother me so I ignore it.

 

[1001001]

Moving to Trek Tech.

 

[Cryogenator]

Probably an AI algorithm driven by the main computer which checks if the person really wants to open the door or at least has a valid reason to open it.

Exactly, and this could probably be done quite well even today.

In its first appearance, the universal translator was stated to be able to scan brainwave patterns.

Any civilization capable of crossing a galaxy will surely have highly sophisticated neurointerface technology, so this is actually very realistic.

However, it raises the question of why people bother to continue speaking physically at all.

Interestingly, Doctor Who used the same explanation a few years before.

 

[Moonglum]

I never noticed that but now I won't be able to unsee it.

Those doorsand the Universal Translatior might operate on a kind of artificial telepathy.

One thing always had me wondering about Universal Translators - Sometimes some starfleet peeps go undercover on an alien planet and are communicating with the UT with the natives. But why don't those natives ever wonder why these undercover agents are speaking like an old dubbed Japanese movie? The aliens would be all like "You ain't sayin' what I'm hearin'!"

 

[Paul Weaver]

They always speak like this

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[DonIago]

Short of some FTL messaging used to send corrections back in time I can't think of a reasonable in-universe way they would work, and if they can use that technology to power doors, why not other systems.

...this would be the best, most petty use of time travel ever...

"Why didn't the door open when I approached it?"
"It received a message from its future self informing it that you wouldn't be ready to go through it until you said, 'Ah. Well, nice to see you.'"
"Ah. Well, nice to see you."

 

[Deks]

In fairness, the doors on VOY seem to use motion sensors, but they also (probably) make use of AI algorithms to predict when the doors would open for the people on board.
There could be an additional component to it.. since everything on SF ships is recorded (for security purposes), the computer likely keeps a track of the crew's bio-readings.
Its probably able to extrapolate from those if a person is actually ready to go through the door (depending on if the conversation is over - to a degree, all convos would also be recorded, so the computer would likely be able to extrapolate from that, the crew's internal bio-functions, etc.)

But as we know, this kind of thing onboard starships is given as a privilege to security officers, knowing that they will not violate privacy. Certain records and activities are accessed probably (and only) when there is a justifiable reason for doing so (aka, murder, or something else).

Of course, if you had that kind of surveillance today (which to a certain extent we do), we know how its used in our society.
In UFP, the society is completely different, so the data while accessible to security officers, is usually only accessible if there's justifiable reason for doing so... and the crew's consent is used.

To be fair, in order to construct a holo recreation of a crewman, the computer would need access to their logs, history, etc. to be able to do that correctly.

 

[Henoch]

In the Cage, there was a rectangular pad or strip on the floor when stepped on, it opened the door:

For TOS, the technology changed to some sort interpretive system... My opinion, it monitored the speed and direction of your feet. Feet pointed at the door and moving toward it, the door opens. Sideways or backwards, it stayed closed. Of course there are manual privacy and security settings. YMMV

 

[blssdwlf]

Since we know that the universal translator can read brainwaves couldn't we imagine that the doors are using that too? The door can read when you really intend to go through it