ThyssenKrupp unveil their new cable free, go anywhere elevators
Tomorrows skyscrapers will be 3D printed into a whole host of different, strange shapes, but in order to make them a reality we need a new type of cable free elevator and ThyssenKrupp look like they're about to deliver
Key takeaways
- In the 160 or so years since the first skyscrapers were built, lots of amazing advances have helped us reach new heights and build them bigger and taller than ever before.
- Today, for example, in Jeddah, Saudia Arabia they’re planning on building a 167 story skyscraper, and even taller buildings are on the drawing boards.
Cite or link to this article
Griffin, M. (2017) 'ThyssenKrupp unveil their new cable free, go anywhere elevators', 311 Institute, 15 October. Available at: https://www.311institute.com/thyssenkrupp-unveil-their-new-cable-free-go-anywhere-elevators/ (Accessed: 1 October 2026).
In the 160 or so years since the first skyscrapers were built, lots of amazing advances have helped us reach new heights and build them bigger and taller than ever before. Today, for example, in Jeddah, Saudia Arabia they’re planning on building a 167 story skyscraper, and even taller buildings are on the drawing boards.
However, that said people still don’t really live in skyscrapers the way futurists had envisioned, for one main reason - elevators can still only go only up and down. In the Harry Potter movies, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and others, for example, we’re shown magical cable free elevators that can travel not just vertically but horizontally and even diagonally. Now though, thanks to German elevator company ThyssenKrupp, who are trying to, finally, get rid of cable elevators, and replace them with levitating ones that use magnets and electric linear induction motors instead, that reality could be closer than we imagined, and they've just showed off their latest prototype called "MULTI."
Finally architects can finally realise their wildest dreams of making odd shaped, 3D printed skyscrapers, like the 80 story one being planned for Dubai in 2020, and design buildings where people live in the clouds, only rarely having to go down to street level, instead being able to move horizontally and, or, diagonally around the building to the next tower over, or to the bridge between them, for a swim, a trip to the doctor or even the grocery store.
The research project, which is set to conclude in September 2018, aims to explore as many of the practical implications of cableless elevator travel as possible, but we already know that thinking of elevators the way ThyssenKrupp suggests would revolutionise the design, construction and use of tall buildings. Builders could create structures that are both far taller and far wider than current skyscrapers – and people could move though them much more easily than we do in cities today.
Sadly though there is still no revolution in sight for elevator music, so you're still stuck with that at least.
FAQ
Why does this matter?
Tomorrows skyscrapers will be 3D printed into a whole host of different, strange shapes, but in order to make them a reality we need a new type of cable free elevator and ThyssenKrupp look like they're about to deliver
About the author
Matthew Griffin Founder, 311 Institute
Matthew Griffin is a multi-award winning Futurist and expert in Disruption and Innovation, Geopolitics, Leadership, and Technology, who NASA have described as a "walking encyclopaedia of the future" and a "futurist Polymath."
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Matthew Griffin is a multi-award winning Futurist and expert in Disruption and Innovation, Geopolitics, Leadership, and Technology, who NASA have described as a "walking encyclopaedia of the future" and a "futurist Polymath." 15-time best selling author of the "Codex of the Future" series, Matthew is the Founder and Futurist in Chief of the 311 Institute, a global Futures and Deep Futures advisory firm working with royal households, world leaders, G7, G20, and G77 governments, NGOs, and multi-national mid and mega cap firms to help them explore, shape, and lead the next 50 years of business and society.
An award-winning YouTube creator with over a million followers, with an unrivalled global reach and impact, Matthew is a highly sought-after international keynote speaker, lecturer, and mentor who collaborates with global leaders through the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) and United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) to shape pivotal initiatives such as the UN’s AI for Humanity program, the United Nations Conference of the Parties (UN COP), and the World Economic Forum in Davos.
As the former Global Head of Cloud, National Security, and Enterprise Sales for companies including Atos, Dell-EMC, and IBM, Matthew has a proven track record of building multi-billion dollar business units and turning failing divisions into market leaders. His ability to identify, analyse, and communicate the implications of hundreds of emerging technologies and trends is unparalleled, and his insights are trusted by many of the world’s most respected organisations, including ABB, Accenture, Adidas, AON, ARM, BCG, Centrica, Citi, Coca-Cola, Dentons, Deloitte, Dow Jones, EY, Google, KPMG, Lego, Legal & General, LinkedIn, Microsoft, PepsiCo, Qualcomm, RWE, Samsung, Siemens AG and Siemens Energy, T-Mobile, UBS, VISA, Walmart, Workday, Worldpay and many others.
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Source: first published by the 311 Institute on 15 October 2017. Cite as: Griffin, M. (2017). ThyssenKrupp unveil their new cable free, go anywhere elevators. 311 Institute. https://www.311institute.com/thyssenkrupp-unveil-their-new-cable-free-go-anywhere-elevators/
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