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"Elevators travelling distances of more than 500m [1,640 ft] were not feasible as the weight of the [steel] ropes themselves become so large that more ropes were needed to carry the ropes themselves."
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After nine years of rigorous testing, it has released Ultrarope - a material composed of carbon-fibre covered in a friction-proof coating.
It weighs a seventh of the steel cables, so is more energy efficient, has twice the lifespan, and most notably, it makes lifts of up to 1km (0.6 miles) in height a lot easier to build.
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When completed in 2020, The Kingdom Tower, in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia will stand a full kilometre in height, and will boast the world's tallest lift at 660m (2,165ft).
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t's estimated that by 2030 there will be 1.4 billion urban dwellers, so with city space at a premium, the only way may be up.
Mr Cooper suggests "magnetic levitation lifts" may offer one solution."
I've never felt particularly safe in elevators. Its too easy to be trapped in them.
27 Jan 2015, 8:05 am
