21–30 of 208 posts
"World's first 3D people mover" might be a more appropriate --- and enticing --- title, because "rope-free" can also refer to hydraulic elevators (which have been around for over a century.)
As far as I can see, the design only allows 2D movement. If you wanted the lift to move toward or away from the camera, you would need either some kind of 2nd attachment point on a different side.
Looks to be about.... 10? times the cost of a normal elevator if I had to guess. I bet the maintenance costs are fun as well. As such, doubt you will see these except in niche buildings (things like the porsche tower, etc..)
"World's first 3D people mover" might be a more appropriate --- and enticing --- title, because "rope-free" can also refer to hydraulic elevators (which have been around for over a century.)
There already are rope-free elevators, for instance: - the hydraulic elevator ( https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lFWNDQDN2hE/T3nbR7woCAI/AAAAAAAAB... ) -the Paternoster ( http://www.audioguideportal.de/assets/Foto/thumbnail520x397/... ) The post title is just clickbait for a ThyssenKrupp commercial, plus it only shows animations of these new elevators. Yawn.
I hate to be so cynical, but for how often the TK elevator in our building is out of service (these things have been around for 100 years and still break down more than a Fiat), I don't have the confidence necessary to step foot in this thing.
Impressive video. The implementation looks complicated and might have reliability issues. Wonder what tech they use for traction while moving vertically.
There already are rope-free elevators, for instance: - the hydraulic elevator ( https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lFWNDQDN2hE/T3nbR7woCAI/AAAAAAAAB... ) -the Paternoster ( http://www.audioguideportal.de/assets/Foto/thumbnail520x397/... ) The post title is just clickbait for a ThyssenKrupp commercial, plus it only shows animations of these new elevators. Yawn.
What are the seismic implications - the tolerances on the XY intersections are surely tight.
How the hell would you inspect some of the complex systems.
You would need a sensor car that just roams the tracks measuring tolerance levels - make it a service car that repairmen can be in which has no walls. You'd be more cost effective putting all your large sensor objects in a car as opposed to thousands of them throughout the system
What happens when a rotating intersection piece fails and its the only route a car can take/the piece fails with a car on that portion of track - there is no door/escape/access to the passengers in that scenario.
Also - the building would require extra height to accommodate horizontal passages if the intersection between XY cant happen at ingress/egress points. If they DO happen at such points - what happens when E1 wants to go right and E2 wants to go left. one car need to give way, then get back on track to go... routing conflicts could occur frequently - like the skyway connectors between towers where that Sim takes the car from tower1 to tower2 but he gets out of the middle of a row of doors....
And as mentioned, elevators are already not that cheap - I don think all but the Nakatomi Plaza and Ono Sendai HQ buildings could afford these yet...
Actually - There are buildings with primary structural elements on there external (HSBC Building in Hong Kong, for example) -- So I could see this as an external bolt-on layer to the side of a building - as opposed to a network of tunnels and shafts throughout - but then that eliminates a majority of the horizontal movement, unless it wraps onto two sides of a building...