The doorknob that cries “Fire!”

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I just had to leave this design for the end of the week. The Bleep is unsuspecting, apparently mundane, but incredible to the extent that it may save lives one day. Ever thought a door handle could prevent death?! Think again! Imagine there’s a fire in the next room. There’s smoke everywhere, so you really couldn’t tell which room was the source. You’re trying to escape and you accidentally open the door into a room that’s absolutely covered in flames. First of all, you’d burn your hand off the red-hot doorknob. The Bleep is pretty simple, but highly effective. It has a hole running from one side of the door to another, with a whistle in the middle. If the room across was ever on fire, the lack of oxygen would cause air from one room to travel through the doorknob to the other room, through the whistle, therefore making a piercing shrill noise. Now you know which door leads to impending doom, and which one leads to safety. Absolutely amazing!

The awesomeness of the Bleep doorknob earned it the Red Dot Design Award in 2015.

Designers: Wang Jun-Yi, Tu Chun-Yi, Yang Ding-Zan & Ju Shiuan-Kai.

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