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Elevator Expert on How to Move 10k People Up a 118-Floor Skyscraper [video]

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21–30 of 77 posts

Re: Elevator Expert on How to Move 10k People Up a 118-Floor Skyscraper [video]

#21
“When we build a skyscraper like this, it lasts essentially forever”

What is the lifetime of a skyscraper? There will be a moment when we’ve lost the engineering calculations and procedures, right? It’s not like an airplane where a D-check means you defurbish and refurbish to control the sanity; and concrete has a limited duration.

With so many skyscrapers built in the recent years, will we see some topple and jolt under the pressure?

Re: Elevator Expert on How to Move 10k People Up a 118-Floor Skyscraper [video]

#23
post #3

Interesting video. I've often wondered what the most optimal elevator algorithm is. Imagine a scenario where a single person calls an elevator to go down, and just as they get in, a group of five people on the floor above also call the elevator to go down. We all know that the elevator would go straight down and then come back up for the people who called the elevator too late. The elevator could actually save time b…

If I remember the story correctly, the creator of Sim Tower[0] wondered the same, and discovered that the algorithms governing that were closely-guarded secrets. So he developed Sim Tower. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SimTower

So, somewhat related. Is there a way to play Sim Tower nowadays? I regret that I never got that last star, and think about it once or twice a year.

Re: Elevator Expert on How to Move 10k People Up a 118-Floor Skyscraper [video]

#24
post #3

Interesting video. I've often wondered what the most optimal elevator algorithm is. Imagine a scenario where a single person calls an elevator to go down, and just as they get in, a group of five people on the floor above also call the elevator to go down. We all know that the elevator would go straight down and then come back up for the people who called the elevator too late. The elevator could actually save time b…

The trouble is that the call button doesn't indicate how many people want to go in a given direction, just that there's more than zero with such a desire.

If you could get people to input perfect information about where they wanted to go (ideally on the way to the elevator lobby, before having arrived there), much greater optimization would be possible.

Re: Elevator Expert on How to Move 10k People Up a 118-Floor Skyscraper [video]

#25
post #3

Interesting video. I've often wondered what the most optimal elevator algorithm is. Imagine a scenario where a single person calls an elevator to go down, and just as they get in, a group of five people on the floor above also call the elevator to go down. We all know that the elevator would go straight down and then come back up for the people who called the elevator too late. The elevator could actually save time b…

The trouble is that the call button doesn't indicate how many people want to go in a given direction, just that there's more than zero with such a desire. If you could get people to input perfect information about where they wanted to go (ideally on the way to the elevator lobby, before having arrived there), much greater optimization would be possible.

I was thinking about the problem more from a theoretical standpoint, but you could fit an elevator system with a 'people counter' on each floor.

Re: Elevator Expert on How to Move 10k People Up a 118-Floor Skyscraper [video]

#26
post #3

Interesting video. I've often wondered what the most optimal elevator algorithm is. Imagine a scenario where a single person calls an elevator to go down, and just as they get in, a group of five people on the floor above also call the elevator to go down. We all know that the elevator would go straight down and then come back up for the people who called the elevator too late. The elevator could actually save time b…

I've seen elevators exhibit queue starvation behaviors when everybody in the hotel is trying to leave for the same event on time

Re: Elevator Expert on How to Move 10k People Up a 118-Floor Skyscraper [video]

#27

Easiest and fastest solution: Pater Noster lift.

The classic joke is to tell people "you go upside down at the top" and watch them come back down standing on their heads (its actually a mechanism which preserves the up direction as they circuit round)

Was popular in the UK university system: there were paternosters in Leeds uni and in Napier College Edinburgh in the 70s and 80s.

Re: Elevator Expert on How to Move 10k People Up a 118-Floor Skyscraper [video]

#28
post #3

Interesting video. I've often wondered what the most optimal elevator algorithm is. Imagine a scenario where a single person calls an elevator to go down, and just as they get in, a group of five people on the floor above also call the elevator to go down. We all know that the elevator would go straight down and then come back up for the people who called the elevator too late. The elevator could actually save time b…

You may find my HN comment from two years ago, the resulting discussion and the parent story interesting: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27487993

Re: Elevator Expert on How to Move 10k People Up a 118-Floor Skyscraper [video]

#29
In Australia (and I would imagine elsewhere) Apartment complexes have a body corporate which all owners are voting members of, and they have to vote two annual costs: the operating fund, and the sinking fund. the latter has to pay for building maintenance such as painting, and lifts. These are the two notoriously most expensive repairs in the life of a modern building: a complete re-cabling of a set of lifts for even only 10 floors is a million dollar spend.

Re: Elevator Expert on How to Move 10k People Up a 118-Floor Skyscraper [video]

#30
post #3

Interesting video. I've often wondered what the most optimal elevator algorithm is. Imagine a scenario where a single person calls an elevator to go down, and just as they get in, a group of five people on the floor above also call the elevator to go down. We all know that the elevator would go straight down and then come back up for the people who called the elevator too late. The elevator could actually save time b…

Concentrated harm and distributed benefit is a recipe to have a few vociferous complainers and many silent beneficiaries.

People who believe they've suffered a grave injustice will be much louder.

The best algorithm and least complaint-inducing algorithm are distinct.

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