Brighthandle glows green to indicate unlockedness
By Barb Dybwad 
posted May 16th 2005 6:32AM
posted May 16th 2005 6:32AM
Leave it to the Nordics with their techno-furniturism — a couple of Swedes have invented the Brighthand door handle, which has an acrylic tip that glows green when unlocked and red when not. Wires run through the door to power the unit (there's a battery-powered model, as well), which can be programmed to light up anytime you need to get your glow on. No word on the cost factor, but knowing the usual premium for Scandi design, expect to pay a pretty penny just to avoid that awkward scenario of jiggling the handle of an unknowingly occupied loo.
I want to install these in my house.
Just in time for Star Wars....
How hot do you reckon the handles get?
Not noticeable, I guess.. If they are lightened by LEDs or something similar power-efficient, there's not much heat that has to dissapate.
Smart
I heard the new Acura RL has similar door handle.. it lights up blue when unlocked..
Like Apple's Green/Red indicator for power, and the US's ubiquitous color terror code, this is yet another example of some rather ignorant design. A full 25% of all males on this planet are red/green colorblind. So when some device like this switched color, to us it's really just a matter of amber or amber. Can anyone out there ever thing to go from Blue to Red? Yellow to Blue? White to Red? At least, those combination would show some type of change to us 25%.
Eh, if only they'd make lightsabers this way...
Asher - I was going to comment on the same thing. There are a large number of red/green colorblind people out there. Otherwise, Great idea! This is the sort of thing that may become commonplace in lavatories everywhere.
wouldn't it be great on a toilet...
Asher: some people are totally blind, and some people can't open doors. How far do you go?
"Asher: some people are totally blind, and some people can't open doors. How far do you go?"
Well...if you are completely blind and can't open doors...probably not too far at all. Having been bound, gagged, and blindfolded before I can say this with authority... :)
>Just in time for Star Wars....
These were covered in ID Magazine about 6 months ago....
Green/Red for good/bad might suck for colorblind people, but it is a long-established standard that everyone understands. The only other real alternatives are off/on and steady/flashing (which they probably should have used). But you destroyed most of your credibility with that "25%" claim. Colorblind males make up 5% of the total population, so only about 10% of the male population is colorblind.
http://waynesword.palomar.edu/colorbl1.htm
should they glow the opposite colour on the inside? If you've ever done any industrial control design, logic would make it "Green" when it's locked (signifying all is 'ok' and locked)and "Red" when it's unlocked (signifying 'not ok' and anybody can walk in on you!).
Cool just like Metroid...
Annnd every FPS ever..
I stand corrected. It is between 4-7%. My information was incorrect. It just seems like a simple fix. Blue and Red. Since we can see a variation on both, and no matter what they do not look the same so we can know one is open one is closed. Simple enough. But two colors that are spectrographically so similar is just a poor call.
http://brighthandle.com/prod.htm
The battery powered model only lights up when you lock the door, so that could be the 'colorblind man's alternative'... Price range is from $300 to $400 depending on the version.
Thanks for the comments on our product! I will follow the discussion and comment on questions you might have here on this site.
Daniel ?lander
Managing Director
Brighthandle AB
Im colorblind and i have seen the Brighthandles live at ICFF in New York.
Its was no problem for me to see the diffrence in the coulours when its enlightend.