ThyssenKrupp tests maglev lift that can also travel horizontally
German engineering firm ThyssenKrupp has tested the Multi, the world's first maglev lift, which uses linear motors and magnetic fields instead of cables, allowing it to move horizontally as well as vertically. In a public demonstration in Rottweil, ThyssenKrupp also revealed how software could plan routes around a building to avoid congestion. The novel technology means architects would not be limited by the maximum cable lengths of traditional lifts. German firm OVG Real Estate was the first to order a Multi system.

As you can see in the video above, the elevator, known as Multi, doesn’t use a cable at all. Instead, it runs on rails that act as linear motors, using magnetic fields to accelerate cabins along their length. When a cabin stops at a floor, those rails can rotate so that it can move off to the left or right rather than continuing up or down.

ThyssenKrupp's vision is of a system of several such shafts placed next to each other, so software might plan routes that take cabins between shafts and around congestion, saving people time.

The linear motor technology could also help side-step a major issue facing current skyscrapers. As Wired UK notes, regular cable designs can only safely rise about 1,600 feet in one continuous stretch, so in tall buildings there have to be numerous lift shafts installed to get people to the top. Multi could solve that, which could free up space and also allow architects to design buildings in different shapes and styles.

One German developer, OVG Real Estate, has already taken the plunge, and will install the system in its forthcoming East Side Tower building in Berlin. But—and honestly, there had to be a big "but" here—it's unlikely many buildings will be kitted out with these kinds of elevators in the near future. That's because Multi will apparently cost as much as five times more than a standard lift system. And, sadly, golden tickets don't stretch very far in the world of real estate.