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Comment by madsbuch | Hacker News Reader

My guess is that this type of round sliding door takes up much less space compared to solutions where you manually close the door. Unfortunately, manually round sliding doors can be very heavy to close. Especially for wheel chair users.

My guess is that this is probably the only way, if you also want to support disabled users while ensuring them most agency in the intimate process of using a toilet.

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(Author here.) I have seen videos (not on trains) of one hybrid - a power-operated round sliding door, but with a physical lock on it, that hooks onto the door frame. So that would be one option.

I think the current iteration is fine though - the replacement of the confusing "lock button" with the physical handle, even if emulated, is comprehensible to most, I would think. The "the door is now locked" voiceover also helps reassure people. (Most people are just trying to lock the door and not "fuzz test" the lock handle...)

Ah, you were the author as well. Have you noticed anyone from the train company about this flaw? (not saying that much would come out of it, but I think one should try)

I've just way too often seen these fake-physical locks be broken, or working in an unexpected way (with a fucking explanatory sticker with three lines of text explaining it). Who signs off on such crap?

"Who signs off on such crap?"

Cynical me: people who benefit from the deal and don't have to use it themself.

This makes some sense, but I think you still could have used an actual mechanical lock on the door. So open and close still be buttons, but once the electric door closed, you engaged the lock (some electronics required there obviously, to tell the state to the system, so it does not try to open with the lock engaged).

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