The 'Wonkavator' from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is real
It's called the Multi. And it harnesses incredible magnetic levitation technology.
A German industrial firm has created a cable-free elevator, "turning Roald Dahl's fiction into fact," said Bonnie Christian at Wired. Much like the fictional Wonkavator in Dahl's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, ThyssenKrupp's ropeless lift "can move vertically, side to side, and diagonally." The Multi uses the same magnetic levitation technology employed by Japan's bullet train, riding an electromagnetic field along a series of tracks inside the building.
Sophisticated algorithms will eventually manage traffic, powering the lifts to transport passengers to their destination as quickly as possible. While the Multi will cost up to five times more than a standard elevator system, it could ultimately save money. Today's cable elevators can rise to a maximum of only around 1,600 feet in one stretch, forcing architects to eat up valuable floor space by adding more shafts.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Living the 'pura vida' in Costa Rica
The Week Recommends From thick, tangled rainforest and active volcanoes to monkeys, coatis and tapirs, this is a country with plenty to discover
By Dominic Kocur Published
-
Without Cuba, US State Sponsors of Terrorism list shortens
The Explainer How the remaining three countries on the U.S. terrorism blacklist earned their spots
By David Faris Published
-
Codeword: January 21, 2025
The Week's daily codeword puzzle
By The Week Staff Published