Omnidirectional Elevators: Maglev Tech to Reshape Skylines

Of course, Star Trek turbolifts aside, there are always some potential dark sides to new technology, as science fiction films like   The Cube and Cabin in the Woods have explored, but presumably the ups outweigh the downs, so to speak. Whether through looping systems (like the one proposed above by Hitachi) or maglev technologies   or, most likely, a combination of the two, the “days of one cabin, in one shaft on one rope traveling up and down” which “hasn’t changed for 160 years” are soon to be over. Allowing fast vertical interior   transit, the elevator has already revolutionized the shape of cities once – this breakthrough may enable a new version   to do it again, not only cutting down on wait and travel times but also by enabling versatile sideways travel through structures. Imagine the possibilities for architects and engineers no longer constrained to simply building up but now free to build out in fresh new ways as well. Combined, the various advantages of this system will increase elevator capacity in a given building by as much as 50% and help reduce the amount of space required   – currently, as much as 40% of a building’s footprint is occupied with traditional elevator   deployments. As illustrated above, a single car can go both up or down and then left or right, moving in a three-dimensional fashion within (and eventually perhaps even beyond) a given building.