Star Trek turbolifts now closer to reality

The turbolift, Star Trek's elevator that can go not just up and down but also sideways, is about to get a step closer to reality.

 

German company ThyssenKrupp is working on such an elevator based on magnetic levitation technolgoy, IEEE Spectrum reported.

 

"As it turns out, Star Trek turbolifts are powered by linear induction motors: they’re little maglev capsules. And as we all know, Star Trek turbolifts can travel in any direction you like. ThyssenKrupp stole this idea from science fiction, and they’re making it happen with their MULTI elevator technology," it said.

 

MULTI is promised as an energy-efficient technology compared to present-day elevators that can go only up and down.

 

According to IEEE Spectrum, the maglev elevators can "carry 50 percent more people while reducing wait times to between 15 and 30 seconds."

 

"The shafts themselves will also be about half the size of elevator shafts that rely on cables, which means more room for developers to put in something useful, like even more elevators," it added.

 

A prototype may be installed in a 240-meter tower being built in Rottweil, Germany. The tower is expected to be opened to the public in 2016.

 

"As the nature of building constructions evolve, it is also necessary to adapt elevator systems to better suit the requirements of buildings and high volumes of passengers," Dezeen.com quoted Andreas Schierenbeck, chief executive of ThyssenKrupp Elevator, as saying.

 

"From the one-dimensional vertical arrangement to a two-dimensional horizontal/vertical arrangement with more than one or two cabins operating in each shaft, Multi represents a proud moment in ThyssenKrupp's history," Schierenbeck added. — Joel Locsin/TJD, GMA News