As this project aims to develop a contactless smart elevator, this section is to review different approaches toward contactless smart elevators by different companies and discusses the pros and cons based on each different approach.
2.4.1 Elevator Reservation Using Mobile Application
According to the Huawei Cloud WeChat public account, Huawei Cloud IoT and Wanglong Intelligent have initiated a solution regarding the contactless smart elevator that provides users several advantages, such as incorporating the option to summon an elevator from a distance using mobile applications, Bluetooth connectivity and WeChat application. Specifically, after the user selects the desired floor number via mobile phone and gets inside the elevator, the elevator autonomously goes to the destination floor without having the user control the elevator manually, accomplishing the objective of a contactless elevator ride. (Amit, 2020; Fry, 2020; Loo, 2020; Patel, 2020). Another company that uses the same approach is Toyama, where the user is required to scan the quick response (QR) code to call the elevator (Toyama, n.d.).
On the other hand, TK Elevators launched an IoT platform for elevators in 2015. Hyun-Shin Cho, Head of Digital Transformation from TK Elevators, explained that after the user enters a building with an engagement, the system would automatically be aware of the destination floor that the user is going. Through a smartphone or a wearable device, the user will be notified of the exact elevator to enter and will be brought to the destination floor without touching any buttons (Claassen, 2021).
For the pros of this approach, this approach eliminated long waiting time problems and inappropriate uses of standard elevators, which shortens the time required to get to the destination and improves the security of the building where the smart elevator is installed. However, for the cons of this approach, the user might arrive late to ride the elevator after reserving the elevator and delay other users from using the elevator as the elevator might be set to wait for the user. Another con is this approach is inconvenient for those who do not own a smartphone. Based on their approach, both companies did not mention how long the elevator will wait for the user after the elevator is reserved.
2.4.2 Sensor-based Buttons
While conventional touch buttons require users to physically touch the buttons to use the elevator, there are plenty of companies, such as Schindler, Hyundai Elevator and MAD Elevator, that have developed sensor-based buttons to avoid having contact with the buttons. Specifically, the user can choose the target floor by directing their fingers at a short distance without contacting the buttons. (Hyundai Elevator, n.d.;
Jardine Schindler, 2021; MAD Elevator, n.d.).
For the pros of this approach, the user does not need any application to use the elevator, as the user can use the elevator as per usual routine but with the physical buttons being replaced by sensor-based buttons. Although MAD Elevator did mention that their sensor-based buttons detect finger-like objects while rejecting other objects, such as shopping bags or purses, reducing false activations, Schindler,
and Hyundai Elevator did not mention whether their elevators have such a feature or not (MAD Elevator, n.d.). Therefore, based on this information, for the cons of this approach, the user might accidentally “press” the wrong button if the sensors are too sensitive, so the user needs to be cautious and precise to “press” the exact button.
2.4.3 Hand Gesture Sensing Panel
According to Realme, the company has made use of its own company’s patented technology, which is known as DCT-plate, which is a glass mirror that replicates lights to generate hovering figures, like a hologram. However, the hologram itself is not sensitive to touch, but an electric sensor that is implanted into the reflector can sense hand motions in the air, thereby allowing the user to input commands without needing to directly press the elevator’s control board. This elevator developed by Realme includes a common proximity sensor and hand-tracking sensors which allow the development of contactless smart elevator interfaces that mimic the functionalities of touchscreens or physical buttons. It also comes loaded with a motion controller and sophisticated camera modules, so the users can use the elevator controls by simply moving their hands in the air (Londa, 2021). For the pros of this approach, the user does not need any application to use the elevator, or the precision to “press” the sensor-based buttons. However, for the cons of this approach, if multiple users are present, it will require some time for every user to use the gesture panel and select their destination floor. Additionally, it will require extra space for the installation of the gesture panel inside the elevator car.
2.4.4 Speech Recognition
For this approach, according to the researchers, the elevator system is combined with the speech recognition system so that the elevator can be controlled by the human voice. Specifically, the user will speak out the destination floor number and the
speech recognition system of the elevator will identify the spoken words to input data and move to the destination floor (Mahajan, et al., 2021).
For the pros of this approach, this speech recognition system can be very helpful for people with disability, such as having a functional hand, as the disabled can use their voices to use the elevator. However, for the cons of this approach, if multiple users are present, the speech recognition might find it difficult to receive the human speech inputs if the surroundings are noisy. Additionally, if the user unintentionally mentioned a number during a conversation and coincidentally matches the floor number, the elevator might mistakenly receive this number as its input, and move to that floor by mistake, causing a delay to the user.