Posting what I responded to your previous elevator post a few days ago, curious for your thoughts.

This is great!

Alain Kornhauser from Princeton has brought up comparisons between elevators and new mobility shifts, mainly how getting people around (vertically or horizontally) opens up new types of real estate.

I like the framework, because if we think about the challenges, elevator throughput difficulties are similar to road throughput challenges in several ways:

1. Fixed infrastructure that’s difficult to change
2. Peak and off peak traffic flow
3. Rigid traffic structure with controlled flow (traffic lights/controlled flow of elevators)
4. Captive customer base (you can use the stairs, but not really. Same for roads)

In the mobility world improving these challenges break down into a few categories, which we could also use for elevators:

1. Speed/capacity of the elevators: design or materials could be used to increase the speed of elevators. This could be anywhere from improved mechanical/electrical efficiency to new designs (Hyperloop for elevators?)
2. Efficiency: using SW to increase utilization of current infrastructure. As Lucas responded earlier, dispatch control is prevalent these days, but big data could be leveraged here as well. Predictive analytics could be used to predict traffic and shift elevators preemptively. At least in Herzeliyah all the offices order in food at the same time…
3. User experience: while not increasing the efficiency, this could improve the experience while waiting or even riding. for example, a simple clock updating when the next elevator is arriving alleviates much of a travelers angst (this has successfully been demonstrated with public transit) I’m not quite sure how other more business oriented models play out in an elevator to be honest.
4. Incentive: similar to traffic incentives (carpooling lanes/congestion taxes), you could use some sort of incentive models to encourage stair usage during peak hours, or a “fast elevator” and a slow “Shabbat elevator” type. Perhaps higher paying rent gain access to premium elevator usage?

One of the main problems innovating in this industry, is that similar to housed parking or roads, it’s become the status quo to have these and use them for free. So who pays for the improved infrastructure, when elevator efficiency has to rank near the bottom of a customers purchasing decision when it comes to real estate?

If I had to bet on something, it would be either a big data approach that could be sold into modern elevator systems or a completely new engineering approach to elevation — a Hyperloop or Skytran kind of company could be very interesting!