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ON THE ROPES – ARE ELEVATORS CUTTING LOOSE?

Last time, we told you about a revolutionary new elevator technology that is set to allow lifts to work in very different ways. From sideways motion to cutting down on the amount of time that we spend waiting in elevators, there are a lot of reasons why these new elevators could represent a major technological turning point, but we neglected to say much about one of the most important developments that this project is offering. For years upon years, elevators have relied upon ropes, but according to these new proposals, that may not need to be the case for too much longer.

Not a Cable in Sight…

This is an angle that’s been picked up by ZME Science, and we’ve got to be honest, the idea of entirely cable-free elevators is pretty much the biggest advancement that we can think of. At least in terms of lift innovation, anyway. This isn’t to say that cable-free elevators haven’t been toyed with before, because they have, but only in projects which see very restricted usage. The elevator that’s being discussed here is well on the way to completion (as we stated last time, 2016 is the proposed release date), and it’s fully intended to be used by civilians. But how exactly is the idea of a ‘no cables’ elevator really going to be realised? Also, what does this mean from a safety perspective?

But Isn’t That Dangerous?

When you think about it, the concern over safety is a pretty moot point. People already get hung up over how cable-driven elevators could plummet down a shaft if a rope were to fail, so the idea of no cables at all poses no more problems. Of course, we’ve already explained in the past just how this idea of a free-falling elevator is virtually impossible, so we have no doubt that similarly rigorous safety features will be implemented with this new technology as well. As regards to specifics, the cabs are intended to run after the fashion of a metro-system, and they will each be self-propelled. Lots of details will no doubt come into focus soon, but it certainly sounds well thought out.

While We All Wait…

So, 2016 is the year when we seem set to see where this pathway to ‘ropeless lifts’ is leading, but it’ll be a very long time before cable-free lifts become the mainstay – if they ever do – and indeed it wouldn’t necessarily be the best practice for them to be adopted across the board. For things like home lifts, the current innovations are definitely well-suited to the task at hand, and at Axess2 we lead the way in terms of home lift technology. If you’d like to find out more about our many options for home and commercial lifts, contact us now calling 01200 405 005 or emailing info@axess2.co.uk.