You're standing in front of an elevator. You press the call button. You step back and wait patiently. Nothing happens. I did press it, right? You pres

The Paternoster: Europe’s Non-Stop Elevator

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2023-03-14 21:30:08

You're standing in front of an elevator. You press the call button. You step back and wait patiently. Nothing happens. I did press it, right? You press it again and continue waiting, avoiding eye contact so as not to make things awkward with the growing crowd around you. Nothing. You go ahead and press the call buttons for all the elevators. Seriously, not one? Three scenarios usually play out here. A). It comes but not in the direction you want to go. B). It comes but it's full. C). It doesn't seem like it's ever going to come. The outcome? Either wait some more or take the stairs.

Well wait in frustration no more, nomads. How about an elevator with no annoying buttons to push and that runs continuously with the opportunity to go in either direction every few seconds? It may sound like some kind of futuristic dream but this is old technology. We're talking 1800s old. And it's called a paternoster.

A paternoster is a chain elevator of open compartments that moves continuously in a loop. That means no doors, no stopping in between floors, no need to call the elevator. You simply step into the moving elevator in the direction you want to go and step out when you reach your desired floor. Did I mention, all while the elevator is still moving?!

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