The History of Automatic Gates | Automated Gate Systems

By nwds News March 28, 2023

The History of Automatic Gates has come a long way. One of the oldest gates in the world is a 3,850-year-old Canaanite gate discovered in 1992 in Israel by a Harvard archaeologist. This ancient gate served as part of the fortifications of the port city of Ashkelon, and visitors to a surrounding local park can now admire its stone and wooden structure.

Further down the line, gates could not be seen guarding every house in medieval times. The royals only used it to protect their castles or entrances to a province or town. Gradually, with time, ordinary people were also using gates. A latch or a padlock secures those gates, which are still widely used worldwide.

As times changed, new materials and advances in technologies became available. Therefore, making it possible to build lighter, more durable gates that could be used in a broader range of applications. As a result, gates became a more common feature in everyday people’s homes, not just the rich and powerful.

The Rise of Automatic Gates

However, it wasn’t until the discovery of electricity that the idea of automatic doors and gates could become a reality. Which in turn significantly impacted gates and how we use them today.

In the 1830s, English scientist Michael Faraday discovered that an electric current passing through a wire would create a magnetic field. This discovery changed the history of automatic gates and led to many new electrical applications, including the development of electromagnets. These electromagnets would eventually power the world’s first automatic gate.

In the Victorian era, many inventors and engineers began experimenting with using it for mechanical power devices. However, it wasn’t until 1881 that the first person to create an automatic gate was a Canadian named Fred W. Watson. Ultimately, this led to the design of an electrically powered gate opener for railway crossings.

The Modern Automated Gate Systems

The twentieth century saw the development of many new automated gate systems, self-opening doors for office buildings and gates used in parking lots, supermarkets, airports, hospitals, schools, and other controlled access areas. Furthermore, most modern apartments now have an automatic gate on their complex, which controls access to parking or garages.

Also, modern automated electric gates have come a long way since the Victorian era. Nowadays, various methods, including remote control key fobs and motion sensors, also control modern electric gates.

Automated Electric Gates at Bridge Door Systems

At Bridge Door Systems, we offer a wide range of automatic gates & vehicle barriers to suit your site-specific requirements. Our products include Fast Lane Speed gates, Automatic Bi-Folding Speed Gates, Automatic Cantilever Sliding Gates, Automatic Hinged Gates, and Automatic Vehicle Barriers.

All our products are available in a wide range of sizes and have been manufactured to BSEN:12453. So, whether you’re looking to secure a site, manage traffic or monitor the time and attendance of staff/visitors. Our Bridge Door Systems perimeter security product range has everything covered.

We also offer a free site survey facility to discuss your requirements and provide a detailed quotation. To find out more, contact us via phone, email, or our website, and we can help with your enquiries.