A Willy Wonka-inspired rotating lift that can go around corners could revolutionise the way Londoners are whisked through Tube stations.
In Charlie And The Great Glass Elevator, the sequel to Roald Dahl’s first Willy Wonka book, the lift goes “up and down, sideways, slantways, and any other way you can think of”.
Now the futuristic invention is being built by Thyssenkrupp, which once installed the world’s fastest lift at One World Trade Center in New York.
Its latest 360-degree elevator design, called Multi, will be unveiled today at the Future London Underground event in the City, which will explore how the Tube network could look in 2025.
The lift uses multiple motor-powered cabins to move the shafts vertically and horizontally, and is able to turn on corners.
Cabins are on constant loops to let more people inside at once, with one arriving every 15 to 30 seconds The lifts are offered as a “potential solution to improve efficiency and mobility in the London Underground network”.
