Cable-free elevators

The well-known German steel and engineering company, ThyssenKrupp is working on producing the world’s first cable-free elevator, that uses magnets to propel it through buildings.

According to ThyssenKrupp, the new ‘MULTI’ system will use the same magnetic levitation, or maglev, technology employed in some high-speed trains, which prevents the moving object from touching the tracks along which it runs.

The next generation elevators are also capable of moving both vertically and horizontally and can accommodate multiple cabins travelling through a single shaft at one time. Each cabin runs in a loop travelling at five metres a second, meaning passengers wait only 15 to 30 seconds for the next ride.

The system is designed for mid-rise and high-rise buildings, with an optimal height of at least 300 metres. The company is working on a 246-metre-tall test tower in Germany that will be used to develop the MULTI system. This is expected to be up and running by the end of 2016.