What Is Awesome

Elevator systems are actually pretty complicated things. There was a great program that came out in the ’90s called SimTower which was originally developed as a simulator for developing more intelligent elevator systems.

The game itself is now abandonware and you can find it here. I’ve been a big fan for a long time and it’s still pretty addictive all these years later.

Last week I was in New York City for some meetings. One of them was at a building on Lexington Ave. The meeting I had was on the 10th floor, so after getting my visitor’s pass, I proceeded to the elevator bank and hopped in an open elevator. I was immediately confused because inside the elevator I saw this:

This was pretty confusing. There were no buttons and I need to get to the 10th floor. I walked out of the elevator and saw this strange little panel outside

I saw this on my way into the elevator cab but dismissed it as some type of security keypad. Little did I realize that in lieu of the standard up/down buttons, this elevator system was unique,  you punch in what floor you want to go to, and it takes you straight to where you need to be, therefore increasing system efficiency.

It’s actually pretty cool– let’s say you’re with people going to the 12th floor and then there are people next to you who want to go to the 5th floor. Instead of sharing one “long” ride with both groups and having to make a stop at the 5th floor, the system will bring 2 elevators, one going to the 5th and one to the 10th. Kind of neat, huh?

So that leaves a tiny question– which elevator are you supposed to get on? At first glance it’s really hard to tell. On my way back down to the lobby after my meeting I noticed this:

It’s pretty subtle, but every elevator tells incoming passangers what floor it’s going to. It takes a sharp eye, but it’s there.

All in all, a very interesting system.

This post is tagged elevators, Little Interesting Things, NYC