A German company unveils world's first rope-free elevator
German company 'thyssenkrupp' has unveiled a new system named "MULTI" in a 246-metre high tower in Rottweil.
It is the world’s first rope-less and sideways-moving elevator system.
Instead of one cabin per shaft moving up and down, the MULTI offers multiple cabins operating in loop, like a metro system inside a building.
They developed a system using linear motor technology, allowing multiple cabins to use the same elevator shaft.
The elevators have an "exchanger", which can switch from vertical to horizontal to allow for sideways movement.
The company plans to roll out the MULTI in high-rise buildings, but they also see a future use for the elevators in underground train systems.
Elevators have been dependent on ropes for 160 years, so this would be a look at a very different future.