ThyssenKrupp, Microsoft Partner to Create Smart Elevators

Ever spend what seemed like hours waiting for an elevator? Or having a meeting on the 18^th floor when you’re on the 2^nd and finding out the elevator is out of order? Two companies say they want to put a stop to elevator limbo.

 German engineering firm ThyssenKrupp and Microsoft announced they have partnered to create a smart elevator system that will drastically cut wait times and maintenance outages, according to a blog post on Sourceable. By using Internet of Things (IoT) technology, the firms say they can save hundreds of millions of hours in wait times.

Dubbed the MAX system, the new elevators will send real-time data on their operating conditions to Microsoft’s Azure cloud system, which will use the insights to predict potential maintenance problems and faulty components before they fail. Azure will act as a single hub with instant information on millions of elevators around the world.

According to MAX’s developers, the system will enable ThyssenKrupp’s service technicians to better perform “real-time identification of repairs, component replacements and proactive system maintenance,” and cut down on elevator downtime periods by as much as a half, Sourceable reported.

The MAX system is the result of two years of research by the two companies, and similar systems are already in use to predict the repair and maintenance needs of Eurozone trains.

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