A Washington-based company says it has the answer to every parent’s worst nightmare in the aftermath of the elementary school massacre in Newtown, Connecticut.
It’s a metal detector, an X-ray machine, a bullet-proof barricade and an armed guard all at once called the ‘Linear Revolving Door’ by Barbecan Security Systems, LLC.
The newly-patented technology is designed to stop gunmen in their tracks and literally eject them from a building without a single person falling into harm’s way.
A computer-animated image shows how a revolving door security system functions by creating a detection chamber for guns and explosive devices
As schools across the nation search for stronger security measures in the aftermath of the Connecticut shooting that killed 20 children and six adults, Barbecan is billing its new technology as the safest way to seal a building from outside threats.
‘A guard at a building entrance won’t stop a determined and well armed attacker – especially if they have suicidal motivations,’ the company says in a statement announcing its first approved patent. ‘The LRD portal WILL NOT let an armed gunman enter a building.  Period.’
The technology, meant to serve as a building’s entrance, consists of a long hallway that contains two sliding doors.
The doors open one at a time according to the real-time pace and flow of pedestrian traffic, as determined by sensors in the floor.
‘The [doors] robotically follow their pace as they walk,’ the company said. ‘If the pedestrian walks quickly, the portal door panels move quickly. If they walk slowly, the portal operates slowly.’
Both doors are never open at the same time. Once a person has walked past the first door they enter a detection chamber where they are scanned for weapons and explosive devices. If no threat is present, the flow of traffic is uninterrupted.
If a threat is identified, however, the second door – made of bulletproof Kevlar and polycarbonate – remains closed and then backs up toward the person and literally pushes them out of the building.
The idea for the technology was born out of the 2007 mass shooting at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia, in which a single gunman, 23-year-old Seung-Hui Cho, shot and killed 32 people and wounded 17 others in two separate attacks.
‘Gun control is not the answer,’ the Barbecan said. ‘The installed base of potent weapons is just too large. To prevent another mass shooting like Newtown, Columbine, or Virginia Tech, a new solution is needed.’
Barbecan takes its name from a fortified gate that was used in medieval times on castles and walled cities to protect against enemies.
In addition to the revolving door technology, the company has a separate, similar device for scanning baggage.
It advertises the technology for use at schools, airports, military bases, government buildings, shopping malls, hotels, movie theaters and other buildings that have high pedestrian traffic.
The company applied for patents in the U.S. and U.K. in 2008 and its first patent for both the revolving door technology and the baggage scanner is being issued this month.
‘Incidents of suicide bombers and gunmen killing large numbers of innocent people are happening more frequently in recent years,’ the company says. ‘We aim to mitigate this escalation.’