Touchless Elevators

Creating safe and secure building spaces

The worst imaginable place to be during the COVID-19 pandemic time was an elevator. Riding in a small space with strangers and coming in contact with the used buttons was a traumatic experience for many. The risk of contracting COVID-19 on an elevator trip has forever changed the way we look at elevators.

After fighting the battles of the three devastating waves of COVID-19, the mindset of the public as well as the manufacturers has shifted to another level, where both ensure the safety factor before anything by minimizing contact with objects and surfaces. The future of the vertical-transportation (VT) industry is coming up with advanced and high-tech features, including touchless operations, high reliability and comfortable rides.

Mitsubishi Electric India understands this well enough and has invested in building sophisticated elevator systems that eliminate the need for contact. The technologically advanced elevators designed by the company are touchless, antibacterial, antivirus and completely secure.

In India, the company is creating comfortable, safe and secure building spaces by partnering with top-notch developers. In April 2021, during the second wave of COVID-19, Mitsubishi Elevator India Pvt. Ltd. secured an order to supply elevators to the Commerzone Madhapur complex and the Altimus Luxury complex owned by K Raheja Corp. (considered a leading developer in India) and located in Hyderabad and Mumbai, respectively. Mitsubishi Electric agreed to install 72 elevators, including 37 high-speed models at the locations, as per the requirement.

The elevators that were supplied have a highly advanced feature, Destination Oriented Allocation System (DOAS), to meet COVID-19 needs for touchless operation and provide a safe and reliable VT.

Contactless elevators are a safe, simple and tech-forward way to improve passenger experience in large commercial complexes such as Raheja’s Commerzone Madhapur complex or Altimus Luxury complex. The complexes have exclusive amenities and facilities.

Mitsubishi Elevator India, keeping in mind the smooth operations and requirements of both the complexes, provided 18 high-speed elevators and 29 standard units equipped with the DOAS feature to Commerzone Madhapur and 19 high-speed elevators and six standard elevators to Altimus Luxury equipped with the security control DOAS feature.

The decision to supply touchless elevators could not have been of more value than at the time of the COVID-19 virus. During the COVID-19 outbreak, there was a huge fear among people of touching elevator buttons, as these were seen as potentially high infectious spots.

In the absence of touchless elevators, people used objects such as keys, phones, pens, etc., to press the buttons while riding in elevators. Mitsubishi Electric responded quickly to consumers’ fears by partnering with companies to supply touchless elevators and to ensure a safe building environment.

The DOAS system developed by Mitsubishi Electric, installed in Raheja’s projects, uses the employee’s ID card to take them to their destination floor. When a user’s employee ID card is authenticated at the security gate, their destination floor is read from the card and automatically registered on the elevator.

The number of the elevator assigned to the user appears instantly on the security gate’s LCD indicator as the user passes through. Passengers going to the same floors are directed to the same elevator to minimize stops, shorten ride times and improve operational efficiency.

Elevators have a preset carriage capacity, which eliminates crowding and helps prevent infection spread. Apart from the DOAS feature, the elevators supplied to the complexes have an advanced M’s BRIDGETM Global Maintenance Integrated System, which can detect potential problems automatically in advance through 24/7 monitoring. This exclusive feature shortens elevator downtime by collecting and analyzing operational data, in turn contributing to improved safety, peace of mind and convenience for customers.

Mitsubishi Electric India looks forward to expanding its share in the premium market by offering new models and accelerating functional development of elevators to meet current social needs. Globally, India is the second largest market for new elevators and escalators, after China.

The demand for elevators is expected to be strong through fiscal year 2022, although there was a temporary dip in demand in fiscal year 2021 due to COVID-19. In the future, Mitsubishi Elevator India will continue to focus on growing its market share by providing intelligent solutions to modern buildings.