Toshiba Elevator and Building Systems Corp., specializing in high-rise construction and elevators, is developing a project to invent a new type of elevator using advanced Maglev (Magnetic Levitation) technology.
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Toshiba’s future magnetic elevators will be quieter and more comfortable than conventional elevators today. In the image: Vacuum elevator. |
This project is expected to be completed by 2008 and will be implemented in Japan for testing.
Experts from Toshiba reveal that the future elevators utilizing Maglev technology will operate silently and provide greater comfort than current models.
Even more impressive, this modern elevator could ascend at a maximum speed of 300 meters per minute for the initial production run. Subsequent production runs, according to the ambitions of Japanese engineers, will feature elevators with a super speed of up to 1,010 meters per minute!
To date, Maglev technology has only been applied in the development of high-speed rail systems.
For example, in China, since 2004, there have been high-speed trains connecting Shanghai with Pudong International Airport, which is 30 kilometers apart.
With a train speed of 340 km/h, passengers need only about 8 minutes to reach their destination!
According to Rembert Horstman, Commercial Director of ThyssenKrupp Elevator (Germany), Maglev is just one of many technologies being developed in the elevator manufacturing industry.
However, he emphasizes that “consumer safety in speed development must come first, rather than dangerous modern inventions…”. To demonstrate that Germany is also on par with any country in the world in advanced technology (while ensuring safety), Mr. Horstman reveals that Krupp is developing the TWIN project, which allows both elevator “cars” to operate simultaneously in the same “shaft”.
