What is Digg?175 Comments
- sundancekid503, on 10/12/2007, -9/+33No elevator Muzak = no digg
- master_of_fm, on 10/12/2007, -4/+27i will take my chances with the shrapnel or exploding debris over being burned to death thanks
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -4/+25Im expecting to get burried for this, but....
I think theres a few flaws in the concept.
1... its freakin slow.
2. it looks like it has to be sent 'up' by the firefighters...
3. In an emergency people wouldnt act that calm,
4. the wind looks like it would rip it apart
5. is suspending an emergency elevator from the roof a good idea, for a building thats potentially got structural damage?
6. The cost involved looks astronomical to retro fit an old building.
Wouldnt the money be better spent fireproofing the stair wells, and adding structural support to garantee they will stand if the building collapses? - LittleMoe, on 10/12/2007, -2/+23Put enough of those around the sides of a building and I think they could actually do a lot of good. It looked practical and logical.
- lava, on 10/12/2007, -2/+20"tell me how the same threat doesnt exist with normal elevators? They're not going to be using any lower quality cable because its an emergency device."
Elevators have brakes. - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -3/+20"..And then the cable snaps and they become one big pancake."
tell me how the same threat doesnt exist with normal elevators? They're not going to be using any lower quality cable because its an emergency device. - Moocat, on 10/12/2007, -1/+15Interesting but needs a lot of work, like someone mentioned below, needs vents for air, needs multiple of them, and of course, you need a flat side of a building to work off of. Lots of buildings have fancy outcrops or various other things. I'd also like to know if they have a weight limit or what happens when the top area burns up where its hooked onto? I mean, fire DOES burn up last I knew.
- fletchowns, on 10/12/2007, -3/+13jimphelps: why are you spamming that ***** digg clone?
- tigro, on 10/12/2007, -0/+8thats why they send up a fire fighter in those things first. the firefighter manages the loading of the thing.
Still i dont see this as a feasible system, it's too complex to put your life on. - dynasty, on 10/12/2007, -0/+7"'..And then the cable snaps and they become one big pancake.'
'tell me how the same threat doesnt exist with normal elevators? They're not going to be using any lower quality cable because its an emergency device.'
Elevators have brakes."
Or how about... elevators don't have 4 other elevators on top of them? - leptonbill, on 10/12/2007, -1/+7Thats a great idea. I wonder if existing buildings can be retro-fitted to support it?
- bam359, on 10/12/2007, -0/+6So you are advocating that they should actually light a building on fire for the purposes of a demonstration video?
What is ridiculous is building skyscrapers as high as we can, with out reliable emergency escape plans.
Why do you think responders (Firefighters) go up with it in the first place? Possibly to ensure that people don't "kill each other to get out of that building"?
EDIT: Beaten by tigro :( - cameron074, on 10/12/2007, -0/+6Definitely looks like a great idea. They should work on the speed with which it's deployed though I'm sure they could save another minute or 2.
- Ralphy, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5I dunno, great concept but like you said they really need to work on the speed, also, on a building that big, they should really have more then four of those ovens at once to pick up people.
- PhrosTT, on 10/12/2007, -2/+7i agree....
could they make this thing look any slower? what TF is the point of putting firemen in them? just deploy them to loading position right off the bat and them bring them down.
also, shouldn't they have enough pods to cover every floor?
*****, i'd just slide down the rope it was deployed on....
anyway, i guess with one on every row of windows it could do some good but what happens when people start fighting to get them in, overload them, then the thing falls and successive pods of people crush those under them... - osbjmg, on 10/12/2007, -1/+6A little scary, I would rather take the stairs. Look how calm they are and how complicated it is?
Do you think people would queue up like that during a real emergency? - scinju, on 10/12/2007, -5/+10You are an honest to god *****, aren't you? Do you think you're cracking some kind of joke on those people? How would you feel if you were one of the thousands of people who died? Or a family member or friend? Would you think that the people who were killed "deserved it"? I'm making the assumption that you're American, and if so, it's people like you who give our country a bad name.
- LaslarsFermion, on 10/12/2007, -1/+5@tigro
"Still i dont see this as a feasible system, it's too complex to put your life on."
Do you ever get on a plane?
Complex......sheeeesh. Talk about overstatement. - rspeed, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4This is blatant flaimbait. Ignore him.
- Arkitan, on 10/12/2007, -2/+6Brilliant, This is really cool, it is just one of those things that says, what the hell is wrong with us that we didn't think of this sooner.
- NewEvolution, on 10/12/2007, -1/+5Seeing as WTC buildings 1, 2 and 7 are the ONLY steel framed skyscrapers to collapse as a result of fires in the history of steel framed skyscrapers, I don't think collapse is an issue.
Escaping from a fire when it has entered the stairwells is a good thing however. I'm with the others on speeding the whole process up, and adding more cars to the system. I assume doing either would require heavier cables and stronger motors and the like. In any event, it's a start. - GazP, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4The deployment could be so much faster... doors should come already open when its packed away...
drops down... fire fighters jump in as quick as they can.. ( 1 per lift to stop overcrowding )
wheel it up, as fast as possible... don't worry about the firemen.. they will be OK!
get people in... obviously it would have to do lots of trips to evacuate people.... but if people are stuck above a floor on fire.... its pretty much there only chance.
1 thing though...
I guarantee when the lifts start moving down... when there roof is level with that window, all the people who just got told they cant get in, and will have to wait.... they will climb onto the roof and probably end up either falling or overloading the lifts. - LR2_, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3It may be inappropriate, but wouldn't it be cool if instead there was a huge slide system. That would be a fun way down to safety. I'm sure someone could think of a way for this to work without having people slide down at too extreme speeds while also preventing pile-ups.
- sometemple, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4Yeah, and with the enormous amount of money put into these large scale building projects, I hardly think cost would be of concern.
Also, has anyone noticed how the comment section of the actual blog post has sparked an interesting debate that has absolutely nothing to do with the elevators themselves? Seriously, not a single post is about the elevators. - TheGalacticFork, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4@ imafish2002: Ever wonder why the stairs are usually the fire escape for the building and not elevators(beyond the fact that you would have to wait in line)?
@ panique: See if you can wrap your brain around this: I work in a building with 18 floors, got it sport? - panique, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3Ummm, they don't play it off like it's the US. The writing on the buildings is not English.
- itsmrdumass, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3This assumes that the building is a box. If it is not then this contraption will not work.
- Ralphy, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4By the time that thing gets to the bottom, I would have been at the bottom by running down the stairs...
- teamparadox, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3I dont care what anyone says, every idea has its flaws but if these things could save just 1 person then its money well spent.
- Ralphy, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4im actually pretty sure he meant they deserved this elevator system although it came out horribly wrong, but if thats not what he meant then ***** you Thrupth.
- panique, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2The exterior skin of the elevators appears to be a flameproof blanket, but what do I know.
- sxtxixtxcxh, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2lol.. i just imagined a giant slide that wrapped around a building, slowly coming down from the roof... man... that'd be a kick ass ride.
- fatlip, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2that is one terrific idea... rock on to good inventions moving us foward into the times ahead
- Orangutan, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2you know, judging by the way all the buildings have hebrew on them, i dont think they are playing it off as in the US
- mrhaines, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2It took an athletic football player 20 minutes to run down the stairs of the World Trade Centre on 9/11. Imagine the difficulty of being in a wheelchair in a situation like that. I think this is a great idea for those who cannot book it down the stairs.
- panique, on 10/12/2007, -3/+5It may be slow but definitely much faster than using the stairs, which could be ill-advised if you are above the fire. This system will definitely save lives. If the WTC had about 4 of these per side, many many lives would have been saved on 9/11.
And Johndoe - "Astronomical"? Are you kidding? Installation is about the same price as landing an A/C unit on the roof. The windows need not be retrofitted, the fireman can use his axe to gain access. - nstanosheck, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2"Why do you think responders (Firefighters) go up with it in the first place?"
To make sure everyone got out like firefighters do?
I mean if the scenario someone mentioned above -- that people would be knocking each other out of the way, diving in, etc. -- it would be good to have someone controlling the loading process and to look for anyone who was knocked down or out of their wheel chair away from the escape window. - jeezmos, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Call me foolish (I'm sure someone will... just be constructive when you do so), but I can't help but think about Mel Gibson in Lethal Weapon when he jumped off the roof of a building with the suicide guy ... and they landed safely on a huge balloon. Can't we retro-fit one of these things for a large number of people? Maybe make it multi-tiered (to at least try to avoid people landing on each other), so after hitting, you roll and drop to a 2nd level, then maybe a 3rd level, then a level where you can stand up and run out of the device? That way you don't have to depend on anything but the ground. I agree with a few of the comments here... relying on the roof of a compromised building is giving it a major flaw. I like the other comment idea (Carlos Reyes) of putting anchor points too.
- digger247, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2To sum some points in a nutshell:
- This elevator idea isnt bad. Saving one life, is better than no lives.
- Yes, that is fireproof material on the cabins.
- There needs to be more speed, but remember: this also needs to add extra load on the building for brakes to slow down. It was a pulley sorta system, at the top of the building.
- Most likely, people will go crazy.
- Firepoles wil bend and sway, not to mention conduct heat. Also, frction will heat your hands greatly.
- An internal slide is considered waste of space. Most designers want more space for constructive use, not a grand slide, although that would be soo cool :D
- There is most likely a backup power source for the elevators.
- Ventilation can be acheived by opening a slit of the front door.
- The more pods, the more load, thus the more risk.
- There must be signs leading to an elevator pod, so the firemen know where to go. - TennBikeBerk, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2I can't figure out why there is a ramp you must go up, to get onto the lift. Couldn't they have made the opening at ground-height, and eliminate the need for the stair/ramp combination?
- AWBoy666, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2I honestly think that is friggin great. As long as the wires holding it up are strong as hell......
I think the idea behind this thing is to get to the floors ABOVE a fire where the staircases are impossible to use. If you get one of these on each side of the building, you should be able to evacuate a ton of people when there is no other way to do it currently. - Zopmaz, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2To all who are saying the slide system is a good idea, I agree. However...
1) What about fat people? Sorry, but it's a real problem
2) What about jams?
3) Would it be outside or inside? - bloqmon, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Those buildings they show in the beginning (the circular one and the triangular one) are in downtown Tel-Aviv, Israel...why do they play it off like its in the US?
They had this in the May edition of Popular Mechanics and it was proposed to the city of New York and was rejected. The reason for rejection was "potential for chaos as evacuees fight for a spot in the cabins." - ImASpartan, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3There is NO way. This thing only works assuming the entire building is entirely intact.
- cntp, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2for all the people that say it would have been good for 9/11:
No, it wouldn't have. It wouldn't have done anything. Most likley, when the plane hit, it would have distroyed the power system to power the elevators. If not, or if the designers weren't idiots, it would have some sort of backup power. Then it would get down to the level where the plane hit, and if the whole device didn't melt, at the very least all the people inside would have died from the heat. 9/11 was not an ordinary occurance, and not something building planners thought would occour. It's also something that is unlikley to happen again.
And for all the people saying it's slow and small and flemsy looking:
It's just a prototype. Things can be improved, changed, and scaled up.
Just look at the big picture.... - diafel, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3Wow this troll got you idiots hook line and sinker.
- bigpeeler, on 10/12/2007, -2/+4Does it come with that cool drum soundtrack?
- limesmj, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Great idea but I wonder how their "wind stablization" works...
- kindrobot, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2"The reason for rejection was "potential for chaos as evacuees fight for a spot in the cabins.""
Love it. Let's see, should we save lives or avoid all those nasty arguments? Yeah, let's go with avoiding the arguments. And by all means, if presented with "give me chaos or give me death", I'll pick death above chaos. Chaos is so messy.
Did someone actually give that as a real reason for not going with this?
Can you imagine hearing that as your floor is on fire? You're finally finishing up
those TPS reports and just as you're remembering those cool elevators that
will save your life, Lois from HR reminds you that they went ahead and "passed
on those elevator things, yeaaah, way too chaotic."
"so yeah, we're gonna need you to all get under your desks now and wait
for rescue, oh-kaay? yeah."
Talk about chaos! I'd be taking out management with a letter opener. - quadvods, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1The speed you would be going after sliding down hundreds of foot of pole would be totally lethal in so many ways.. not to mention just falling off it.
-
Show 51 - 100 of 169 discussions
The Digg Toolbar for Firefox lets you Digg, submit content, and keep track of Digg even when you're not on the Digg site. Download the official 
© Digg Inc. 2009
— Content created and posted by Digg users is