In one year alone, New York City office workers spent a total of 16.6 years waiting for elevators, compared to only 5.9 years spent travelling in them. The best way to save people’s valuable time is to find solutions that cut waiting times rather than only speed up elevators. Here it comes to German company ThyssenKrupp and their innovative elevator that moves horizontally as well as vertically. Called MULTI, this new elevator is the world’s first horizontal/vertical elevator that can literally open up new directions with a ropeless system.
MULTI Elevator
MULTI’s innovative exchange system allows the linear drive and guiding equipment to make 90° turns. How? By leveraging the linear motor technology developed for the magnetic levitation Transrapid train.
With MULTI, multiple cabins travel safely up one shaft and down another in a single continuous loop, much like a circular train system on a vertical plane. The only visible difference to passengers – and it’s a welcome one – is that the doors open every 15 to 30 seconds, despite having fewer shafts compared to standard elevator systems.
MULTI Elevator
“We believe Multi is a genuine game-changer that will truly transform the way people move, work and live in our built environment,” said ThyssenKrupp’s chairman of executive board, Andreas Schierenbeck, at the system’s launch, “It will reduce waiting times for passengers and take up significantly less space within the building. Multi is a key offering that truly represents a landmark revolution in the elevator industry.”
MULTI will get a test run within an 807-foot-high test tower in Rottweil, Germany.
