The Modern Elevator
Elevators have been around for centuries yet there’s very little about them that has changed. Now a days we just modernize the amazing invention that has changed our cities as we know it.
Technology has and continues to change the world. Are you reading this on a mobile device? Well guess what, that cellphone didn’t exist a decade ago. The first elevator in New York was put into service in 1853 and since then, not much has changed. One thing that hasn’t changed is the constant need for elevators.
Modern Elevator Myths:
1. “Elevator phobia”: while people may say that they’re scared of elevators, that usually isn’t the case. Most times people who fear elevators, fear them because they have claustrophobia; which means a fear of enclosed spaces. Another fear many have are agoraphobia; which is the fear of being trapped in a situation with no opportunity to escape.
2. Often times people admit to being nervous in an elevator due to the risk of it falling to the ground after cables break. Little do they know, that instance has only occurred once in history! It took place in 1945 when a bomber jet hit the Empire State Building. The elevators cables were severed by the aircraft causing the elevator to plummet from the 75thfloor.
3. It is proven that elevators are safer than cars and even escalators.
Majority of the changes made to elevators have been for safety reasons. The first innovation was the elevator safety brake that was patented in 1861. So what else has been added due to technology advances since then?
Automatic Doors:
The automatic door has technically been around since the 1940s when a man named Joseph Giovanni patented the sensitive door bumper. This bumper automatically stops the door from closing further if it encounters an obstruction. Elevators evolved over time and now use infrared or ultrasound sensors in the doors. Doors with this technology will stop before having the chance to bump into you.
Microprocessor Control:
In the early years of elevators, they were run manually by dedicated operators. They didn’t just push buttons in order to open and close doors, they also had the ability to control the speed of descent using a lever; only a skilled operator could manage a soft landing. By the 1970s, microprocessors were added to elevator operation. These mini-computers took over the need for an operator and took over the decision-making of where and when an elevator would stop. This invention greatly increased elevator efficiency due to the fact that it automatically controlled speed.
Sky Lobbies:
Skye lobbies may not be a part of the operation of an elevator itself, but they are essential in modern skyscrapers. Think of them as staging areas. You’ll enter an elevator on the ground floor and it’ll ascend at a high speed to your selected floor without stopping. Once the doors open, you’ll arrive at the sky lobby. From that point, you switch elevators in order to ascend the rest of the way to your floor. These elevators also have the ability to stop at any floor along the way.
This innovation was created as a way to move a large amount of people around with a limited number of elevators. The location of the sky lobby is determined by passenger flow models making it highly efficient for elevators to service tall and large buildings.
The conclusion is that technology has made modern elevators that are more comfortable and that can carry more people. Short ascents may now be driven by hydraulic lifts rather than cables, but still, the technology was already in use by the earliest elevators before electricity became reliable enough for electric driven motors.