Elevators that you saw in the Minority Report are coming. That’s why we love German engineering.

2 years ago, the German engineering company thyssenkrupp developed an awesome innovation: the elevator that doesn’t need any cables. All it needed was magnetic levitation to cycle not just one, but multiple cars through a building’s shaft system. They called this the ‘Multi’, and what makes it more special is that it doesn’t only move up and down, but side to side as well!

Source: Popular Mechanics

Today, the UK architecture firm Weston Williamson is thinking about installing the Multi in one of the world’s most complex urban architectural spaces: The London Underground. thyssenkrupp is currently constructing this elevator in a building in Germany, and this helped convince Weston Williamson director Chris Williamson that this technology is not just a concept.

Source: thyssenkrupp

By utilizing the same maglev technology that was proposed for Elon Musk’s Hyperloop, the Multi would not need any cords, and will be using magnetic coils in the shaft walls to repel the magnetized elevator compartment. Since the car isn’t attached to any cords, moving sideways wouldn’t be a problem