A German company plans to overthrow the boring old up-and-down elevator
You probably don't give too much thought to elevators, unless you happen to be waiting for one or stuck between floors. But Willy Wonka flights of fancy aside, the elevator's basic design hasn't fundamentally changed in 160 years — the elevator car goes up and down, one box per shaft. Well, German elevator firm ThyssenKrupp has given the topic a lot of thought, and they have declared the elevator inadequate to the demands of the modern city.
"The era of the rope-dependent elevator is now over," the company said in unveiling its new MULTI elevator technology, which it calls "a landmark revolution in the elevator industry and a new and efficient transport solution for mid and high-rise buildings."
The new design trades cables for a system based on magnetic levitation (like some super high-speed trains) that will allow elevators to move horizontally as well as vertically, and circulate with several units in a shaft at a time. That will make your wait virtually disappear, with a car arriving "every 15 to 30 seconds," ThyssenKrupp promises. If you're having a hard time envisioning the MULTI elevators, the firm explains and illustrates the concept in the video below. The first of these elevators is forecast to show up in an actual building in 2016. --Peter Weber
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.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
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
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
Shopping trolleys: the new must-have accessory
Speed Read Sales are soaring as new designs help shed that old-fashioned image
By Adrienne Wyper, The Week UK Published
-
5 ways to help the environment while on vacation
The Week Recommends An afternoon of planting trees could be the best part of your trip
By Catherine Garcia, The Week US Published
-
Doctors are taking on dental duties in low-income areas
Under the radar Physicians are biting into the dentistry industry
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
Puffed rice and yoga: inside the collapsed tunnel where Indian workers await rescue
Speed Read Workers trapped in collapsed tunnel are suffering from dysentery and anxiety over their rescue
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
More than 2,000 dead following massive earthquake in Morocco
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
Mexico's next president will almost certainly be its 1st female president
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
North Korea's Kim to visit Putin in eastern Russia to discuss arms sales for Ukraine war, U.S. says
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
Gabon's military leader sworn in following coup in latest African uprising
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
Nobody seems surprised Wagner's Prigozhin died under suspicious circumstances
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
Western mountain climbers allegedly left Pakistani porter to die on K2
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
'Circular saw blades' divide controversial Rio Grande buoys installed by Texas governor
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published