Many technological developments have changed the way we designed buildings in the past 100 years. However, none of them have had a greater impact than the invention of elevators. Elevators have played a key role in rendering the unique skyline marked with towers and high rises across several modern cities today. Nowadays, with the shortage of ground space, buildings are scaling the sky to unbelievable heights. As a direct result, the elevator and escalator industry has taken on a whole new identity. Today, construction companies are building structures that are in correspondence with energy efficiency requirements and standards. Thus the elevator industry is also gearing up to keep up with these changing construction preferences.
The elevator industry is undergoing many game-changing developments that could change the way elevators function in your homes and buildings. Below we’ve discussed six noteworthy innovations in elevator technologies and how they’re changing the industry:
Smart Elevators
Just like Smart TVs and smartphones, elevators are also getting high-tech, encouraging elevator companies to improve the safety and speed of their products. But what is a smart elevator exactly? When an individual presses a button to choose the floor they want to visit, an indicator directs him to a specific lift that will take them to the selected floor the fastest. Such advanced channeling helps move passengers more efficiently, especially during high-traffic hours in offices, apartments, and hotels. These elevators can also be programmed to function in different ways at different hours throughout the day.
Virtual Reality Diagnostics
This technological advancement has changed the way mechanics perform lift repairs. Virtual reality diagnostics allows them to diagnose the issue without having to risk their safety. With this technology, they don’t have to hand from a lift shift or climb several floors. The mechanics just put their glasses on, and using hand motions explore the elevator’s engine and other parts in more detail.
Predictive Maintenance and Real-time Insights
With several new high-tech features in elevators, it has now become possible for the managers and building owners to track and analyze their elevators’ data. Today there are several analytics providing software that can be installed in elevators to get its real-time insights. Premier diagnostics and tracking advanced analytics enables the owners and managers to predict, identify, analyze, and resolve the issue before it has even occurred. They can sense wear and tear on the elevator parts and machinery. The information is recorded on the cloud-based system where it is then processed and analysed to estimate if, and when maintenance will be required.
Green Elevators
Green elevators are one of the best technological developments that have taken place in the elevator industry. These elevators not only help save on energy usage but they also help save on the materials, technologies, and processes that are used. Also, substantial savings can be experienced on flooring, paints, lighting, HVAC systems, and control panels. Some features of green elevators include:
- Gearless traction design
- Machine-room less technology
- Precise traffic control
- Computerized systems to minimize light-load trips
- Drive systems that recover and regenerate energy
- Destination control software to manage elevator stop requests
- In-cab software and sensors, such as video, music, ventilation, and lighting, that go into sleep mode when the elevator is not in use
Destination Controls
Calling a lift is no longer just pressing a button and then waiting for it to arrive. Today, the new high-tech features allow managers to intelligently group passengers and assign them to elevators to move people more quickly to their destination floor. The destination control feature has enabled them to personalize kiosks and touchscreens, and adjust the passenger flow in real-time. With this technology, elevators can be assigned to high-traffic areas to answer passenger demands more efficiently. By using this high-tech feature, managers can remotely control everything from anywhere in the building.
As you can see, there are several major strides taking place in the elevator industry. Each year comes with new technological innovations. With technology continuously evolving, elevators too will evolve. Let’s just wait to see what the next new thing in the elevator industry is going to be.