Hitachi Develops Touchless Operating Panel for Elevators

Hitachi, Ltd. and Hitachi Building Systems Co., Ltd. recently announced in a press release that they have developed a touchless operating panel establishing an elevator without physical floor buttons. This newly developed touchless operating panel replaces the floor buttons normally found in an elevator car and enables elevator users to register a destination floor by passing a finger over the floor displayed on the panel (LCD monitor). An infrared sensor detects the finger’s position and registers the floor for touchless use of the elevator. The new operating panels have been adopted in elevators in Tokyo Midtown Yaesu completed on August 31. This touchless operation also allows for the panels to be simplified and miniaturized, which can lead to more futuristic elevator designs. According to a Hitachi official, the product may be added to Hitachi’s full product lineup in the future based on user reaction.