10 Amazing Things About Commercial Elevators You Probably Don't Know

While most of us do use lifts day in and day out, exactly how familiar can we claim to be with this thing? Just imagine how painful daily life without such vital machines would be-yet infrequently does their internal operation, their history, or their particular quirks play on our minds. Every time you ride any commercial lift or on moving walks henceforth, you are going to be amazed by many of these quirky facts and intricacies.

Although the invention of lifts belongs to the very recent past, the concept behind it is many centuries old. Invented in Ancient Greece, the earliest "elevators" were simple platforms propelled with the use of human or animal power. The first lift is said to have been designed by Archimedes in 236 BC. Much as a lot of improvement has taken place from then, it is very interesting to realize that the concept of vertical transportation goes back thousands of years.

Commercial elevators are designed to bear heavy weights and can last for 20 to 30 years. Visualize the elevator in your office building moving thousands of people every day. Such machines are constructed to bear the brunt of hard usage and to last for decades safely and reliably with adequate maintenance.

Nowadays, an elevator is anything but simple. The norm on most commercial elevators, smart systems help control building traffic. Based on the destination floor that each passenger requests, computers calculate which elevator you should board to take you up and minimize wait times. Even more impressively, with some newer systems, you indicate where you are going before you enter the elevator and it identifies the elevator best suited for the journey!

The common misconception is wrong, and lifts are capable of doing much more other than just going up and down. In addition, the more recent models are even capable of moving horizontally and diagonally! In an attempt to make commuting easy in extra-large complexes, some ultra-modern buildings have started trying this technology.

Ever see that movie where the cable holding the lift snaps, and it falls down the shaft? Thankfully, in reality, that's virtually impossible. Elevators today are fitted with safety brakes, devised by Elisha Otis, besides several cables as backup. The safety mechanism of the lift includes brakes that automatically come into play the very moment there is a cable failure.

It may be a surprise, but commercial elevators are actually becoming greener. In some newer models, regenerative drives even build energy when the elevator goes down carrying a heavy load. Feeding this energy back into the building's power can help lower consumption across the board. Go green while going up!

Did you know that people tend to queue in particular patterns upon entering a lift? There is this unwritten rule going on about seating arrangement, where the first goes to the far back corner, the second fills in on the far side, and the third does the same. One more thing: whoever happens to be closest to the control panel usually has to be the person pressing all the buttons. It's a small example of how people act differently when they are out in public.

Amazingly, commercial lifts are fairly common, and a number of elevators for cars are in existence as well. Elevators in the United States alone reportedly make 18 billion trips every year, with over 1 million in operation! Elevators quietly transport us from one office building to the next, or to the next mall, hospital, or complex.

Without elevators, the modern skyscraper simply would not be possible. The invention of the elevator during the 19th century alone greatly affects today's modern architectural building design. With the method of moving people to higher levels, buildings now could be made even taller. New technologies also today, like double-deck elevators, help buildings deal with heavy traffic much better.

Commercial elevators are subjected to a high degree of safety regulation. Safety features, such as periodic inspection and standby safety devices, are part of the process of constructing an elevator. For example, many elevators will not move from their current position unless the doors are completely closed; sensors further prevent any type of crushing from the closure of the doors. By nature, an elevator can be thought of as one of the safest modes of travel.

Commercial lifts at first glance may appear to be simplistic in nature, but they are actually full of technology, history, and tidbits that are quite interesting and will surprise you. Next time you step into one, take the engineering and ingenious design into consideration that goes into making them a dependable part of our everyday life. Besides, elevators have transformed much from their infancy, and with the assistance of the quite reliable elevator company in Dubai, they became one of the most indispensable instruments of our contemporary society.