New elevator system is rope-free

Thyssenkrupp has developed a new elevator technology that could help cater for 70 percent more people living in cities by the end of the century.

The world’s first rope-free elevator service named MULTI could change the way high-rise buildings are made. The twin-elevator technology, formed by Germany-based company Thyssenkrupp, works by replacing ropes with linear motors that can move up and down and also, uniquely, horizontally. In a single continuous loop, multiple cabins travel safely up one shaft and down another. The only visible difference to passengers is the doors open every 15 to 30 seconds, despite having fewer shafts compared to standard elevator systems.

A 246-meter test tower for the invention in Rotterweil, Germany, will help to dramatically reduce the time required to develop skyscrapers worldwide. It will contain 12 test shafts and travel at speeds of up to 18 meters per second, with three shafts dedicated to testing and certifying the MULTI elevator system. The building will also act as Germany’s highest viewing platform.

The first MULTI system is to be installed at OVG Real Estate’s new East Side Tower in Berlin. Worldwide, more than 12 million elevators make seven billion trips and move over one billion people every day. A student study by Columbia University, found that in a New York City office workers spent a total of 16.6 years waiting for elevators.

Revolutionizing the way we travel and move from A to B has been a focus of technology start ups. Wireless charging technology embedded into roads helping electric cars charge on the go and a VR-enabled visual adventure projected onto elevator walls are two prominent examples. How could technology help the way you travel?