ThyssenKrupp Reveals MULTI Elevators That Would Make Wonka Proud

We love a good bit of tech here at eTeknix. Much of that tech is for gaming systems, PCs, mobiles and much more, but every now and then we see something a little bigger that stands out from the crowd. The common elevator hasn’t changed in terms of functionality for around 150 years, one technique or another has been used to propel them, but they still just go up or down and you only get one cab (typically) per shaft, but all that is about to change.

ThyssenKrupp revealed their MULTI concept over a year ago, but now they’re back to demonstrate how it works and why we will likely be seeing elevators that can go up, down, sideways, around circuits of a building and allow for many more cabs per shaft.

“With severe restrictions on space, mid to high-rise developments have proved to be the most economically and environmentally viable developments to accommodate these rapidly growing urban populations.” said ThyssenKrupp CEO Andreas Schierenbeck

Their demo model is only a one-third full scale working model, but it does a great job of showing what MULTI is capable of. The cabs ride on tracks, rather than using a pulley system. Their linear induction motors means that they can work independently of each other, even at different speeds to each other, even when on the same track. Cabs can even leave the track for maintenance, while a fresh cab takes its place.

What’s even more crazy is how the horizontal movement could be used to link buildings. If you’re in a side building of a skyscraper, hop in the lift, it moves over to the right shaft, then up to the top. This means that shafts won’t have to be limited to the central columns of each building.

“In a manner similar to a metro system operation, the MULTI design can incorporate various self-propelled elevator cabins per shaft running in a loop, increasing the shaft transport capacity by up to 50% and making it possible to reduce the elevator footprint in buildings by half… The overall increase in efficiency also translates into a lower requirement for escalators and additional elevator shafts, resulting in significant construction cost savings and increased rent revenues from the greater availability of usable space.”

Pretty cool, don’t you think?