Or rather, homelabs and home labs?
(image from Wikimedia)
I have a sliding door that I want to toss a stepper motor on, so my dog can push a button and let himself in / out.
Interesting idea. It needs one big stepper motor, I guess. Do you know a specific type that’s strong enough?
Linear actuator, that’s literally how the commercial units work. Most are step capable either addon or built in and some have built in close resistance tests so you don’t mush the puppy or a kid or whatever is running about your house.
If you just Amazon automatic sliding door linear you’ll get results for units you can wire into your own setup. They’re Chinese but you can use it as a base to build better or simply an example to do the same.