Guarantee that no one waits more than 3 seconds for an elevator.

1. Overview

The challenge requires rethinking elevator systems so that vertical transportation feels instantaneous, like opening a door. Traditional methods (conventional elevators with call buttons) cannot achieve this consistently, especially in tall buildings with heavy traffic. Instead, we need to explore future-oriented, experimental, and radical concepts that fundamentally change how elevators are dispatched, docked, or even replaced by alternative systems.

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2. Rationale for Success

This plan relies on four principles:

1. Pre-allocation – assign an elevator before the user presses a button.

2. Pre-positioning – elevators must already be waiting near potential riders.

3. Parallelization – multiple cars share the same shaft or dock together to reduce bottlenecks.

4. Anticipatory AI – predictive models anticipate demand patterns and move cars proactively.

If combined, these ensure that wait times rarely exceed 3 seconds. The technical feasibility is not yet here, but these are plausible directions in advanced urban engineering.

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3. Task List

Phase 1 – System Design Concepts

• 3.1. Predictive Rider Assignment

  • Subtask 3.1.1: Integrate AI with building access systems (smartphones, wearables, facial recognition).

  • Subtask 3.1.2: Automatically assign an elevator the moment a user enters the lobby.

  • Subtask 3.1.3: Anticipate demand spikes (e.g., lunch hour, office closing) and stage elevators in advance.

• 3.2. Pre-Positioning Network

  • Subtask 3.2.1: Maintain idle elevators evenly distributed across all major floors.

  • Subtask 3.2.2: Use real-time flow monitoring to dynamically relocate cars.

  • Subtask 3.2.3: Keep at least one car within 1–2 floors of every cluster of users.

Phase 2 – Radical Elevator Architectures

• 3.3. Multi-Car Shafts

  • Subtask 3.3.1: Implement linear motor systems (like maglev trains) allowing multiple cars in one shaft.

  • Subtask 3.3.2: Use “platooning” – cars following each other with safe spacing, reducing idle gaps.

  • Subtask 3.3.3: Enable bypassing (one car overtakes another vertically).

• 3.4. Docking & Transfer Platforms

  • Subtask 3.4.1: Create “sky-lobbies” where large shuttle elevators bring passengers to transfer hubs.

  • Subtask 3.4.2: Introduce side-by-side docking where small capsules move laterally between shafts.

  • Subtask 3.4.3: Allow passengers to switch cars mid-journey for optimized flow.

Phase 3 – Extreme Reductions in Wait Time

• 3.5. Continuous Circulation (Elevator Conveyor)

  • Subtask 3.5.1: Develop circulating vertical cabins, like escalators but enclosed cars.

  • Subtask 3.5.2: Riders step into a moving car almost instantly – eliminating call waiting.

  • Subtask 3.5.3: Use dynamic speed control (slow near entrances, fast mid-shaft).

• 3.6. Alternative Systems

  • Subtask 3.6.1: Explore pneumatic tube elevators with ultra-fast acceleration.

  • Subtask 3.6.2: Investigate personal maglev pods that dock at individual floors.

  • Subtask 3.6.3: Hybrid vertical-horizontal transport networks (like autonomous elevator taxis).

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4. One Last Thing

Guaranteeing a 3-second maximum wait means elevators need to feel less like waiting for a ride and more like grabbing an Uber that’s already at your door. The biggest challenge? Convincing people not to panic when their elevator shows up faster than their coffee order.

And finally, if anyone asks how you pulled it off, just say:
“I told the elevators to stop being lazy—they’re now on a coffee ban.” ☕🚫😅