Elevator

Elevator, device that transports people or goods from one floor to another in a building. Elisha Otis's invention of an elevator with an automatic safety device (1840s) permitted the construction of tall buildings and skyscrapers. Most elevators use an electric traction system that lifts the elevator car with steel cables. Geared traction elevators can travel up to 450 ft (137 m) per min, while gearless ones can travel up to 2,000 ft (600 m) per min.

See also: Otis, Elisha Graves.