1
00:00:00,080 --> 00:00:03,960
For some reason or another, I find elevators
to be pretty fascinating.

2
00:00:03,960 --> 00:00:07,620
I’m partial to glass elevators because they
give you a glimpse of their mechanisms,

3
00:00:07,620 --> 00:00:10,700
like the door operator that sits atop the cab and...

4
00:00:10,700 --> 00:00:12,180
operates
the doors.

5
00:00:12,180 --> 00:00:15,220
Or the landing doors themselves, with this
one marked UL

6
00:00:15,220 --> 00:00:17,910
which I think stands for "unsightly lever".

7
00:00:17,910 --> 00:00:22,250
I think part of why I find them so interesting
is that we very much take them for granted

8
00:00:22,250 --> 00:00:24,680
when they’re often packed with interesting
technologies.

9
00:00:24,680 --> 00:00:27,780
Many are simply platforms atop a hydraulic
ram.

10
00:00:27,780 --> 00:00:29,920
Others like these are suspended by cables

11
00:00:29,920 --> 00:00:33,816
which (usually) loop around a large drum-like thing at
the top of the shaft,

12
00:00:33,816 --> 00:00:36,480
which with the help of the counterweight moves the cab

13
00:00:36,480 --> 00:00:39,790
in either direction without expending much energy at all.

14
00:00:39,790 --> 00:00:42,140
Then there are weird hybrids like this.

15
00:00:42,720 --> 00:00:44,300
Seriously, this is weird.

16
00:00:44,309 --> 00:00:47,829
Two pistons on either side, and what’s with the
the cables here?

17
00:00:47,829 --> 00:00:52,579
Anyway, limit switches help tell the controller
where the cab is, safety interlocks prevent

18
00:00:52,579 --> 00:00:57,260
the elevator from moving unless all the landing
doors are closed and locked, and lots of other

19
00:00:57,260 --> 00:01:01,840
neat things work together to make these moving
boxes functional and safe.

20
00:01:01,840 --> 00:01:06,240
In this video, I’d like to highlight a simple
accessibility feature that’s nearly everywhere

21
00:01:06,240 --> 00:01:09,760
(in the US at least), but that you might have
never noticed.

22
00:01:09,760 --> 00:01:14,359
The Americans with Disabilities Act defines
an elegant solution for the blind that is

23
00:01:14,360 --> 00:01:19,040
obvious once you know what it is, but that
may have simply never crossed your mind.

24
00:01:19,040 --> 00:01:23,060
Most elevators will have some sort of indicator
for which direction it’s going.

25
00:01:23,060 --> 00:01:27,460
Often you see them in the hallway, in which
case they are called hall lanterns, and I’m

26
00:01:27,460 --> 00:01:30,800
sure you’ll have noticed that it lights
either the up or down arrow

27
00:01:30,800 --> 00:01:32,120
(or other shape).

28
00:01:32,120 --> 00:01:36,260
They’re not always in the hall, though,
sometimes they’re inside the elevator itself.

29
00:01:36,260 --> 00:01:39,509
In either case, they usually make a sound.

30
00:01:39,509 --> 00:01:42,200
But have you ever really paid attention to
that sound?

31
00:01:42,200 --> 00:01:44,640
Many elevators will chime to announce their
presence.

32
00:01:44,649 --> 00:01:45,620
Take a listen:

33
00:01:45,620 --> 00:01:47,380
[ding]

34
00:01:47,380 --> 00:01:49,919
Now, that chime isn’t there just to be pleasant.

35
00:01:49,919 --> 00:01:52,099
It has a very important purpose.

36
00:01:52,099 --> 00:01:55,533
For the majority of us with sight, we can
see which elevator has arrived

37
00:01:55,540 --> 00:01:57,480
and which direction it’s going.

38
00:01:57,480 --> 00:01:59,380
But not all of us are sighted.

39
00:01:59,380 --> 00:02:03,860
You’ll have likely noticed the braille adjacent
to the floor buttons or the call buttons.

40
00:02:03,860 --> 00:02:08,579
Elevators after all are an accessibility device,
and to be accessible to the blind, the braille

41
00:02:08,580 --> 00:02:09,680
is added.

42
00:02:09,680 --> 00:02:13,159
But that chime is also an accessibility device.

43
00:02:13,160 --> 00:02:16,860
Pretend for a moment that you don’t have
access to any visual information.

44
00:02:16,860 --> 00:02:18,540
Here’s how that chime can help.

45
00:02:18,540 --> 00:02:23,439
You’ve pressed the down call button, and
now you’re waiting for the elevator to arrive.

46
00:02:23,439 --> 00:02:24,980
The one on your left arrives,

47
00:02:24,980 --> 00:02:26,480
[chime]

48
00:02:26,480 --> 00:02:28,320
but you know not to get in it.

49
00:02:28,320 --> 00:02:30,290
You haven’t heard the right sound.

50
00:02:30,290 --> 00:02:32,150
[chime, chime]

51
00:02:32,150 --> 00:02:34,540
Ah, that one’s yours.

52
00:02:34,540 --> 00:02:39,459
In the US, in order for an elevator to be
ADA compliant, it needs to produce a single

53
00:02:39,459 --> 00:02:41,620
audible signal for the up direction

54
00:02:41,620 --> 00:02:43,040
[chime]

55
00:02:43,040 --> 00:02:45,980
and a double audible signal if it’s going down

56
00:02:45,980 --> 00:02:48,519
[chime, chime]

57
00:02:48,519 --> 00:02:51,160
You might be surprised how nearly universal
this is.

58
00:02:51,160 --> 00:02:55,080
Here’s just a small sample of elevators
which follow this convention.

59
00:02:55,080 --> 00:02:59,420
I shot all of these with just my phone, so
apologies for the quality.

60
00:02:59,420 --> 00:03:01,120
This elevator is signalling up.

61
00:03:01,120 --> 00:03:02,680
[ping]

62
00:03:03,440 --> 00:03:05,420
Now the same elevator going down.

63
00:03:05,420 --> 00:03:06,660
[ping]

64
00:03:07,000 --> 00:03:08,340
[ping]

65
00:03:08,720 --> 00:03:10,280
This one’s going up.

66
00:03:10,480 --> 00:03:11,700
[bing]

67
00:03:12,000 --> 00:03:13,180
And now down.

68
00:03:13,440 --> 00:03:14,000
[bing]

69
00:03:14,360 --> 00:03:15,740
[bing]

70
00:03:16,200 --> 00:03:16,720
Up.

71
00:03:16,720 --> 00:03:18,240
[ting]

72
00:03:18,540 --> 00:03:19,040
Down.

73
00:03:19,040 --> 00:03:19,540
[ting]

74
00:03:19,840 --> 00:03:21,300
[ting]

75
00:03:22,020 --> 00:03:24,660
And now, a bunch more, all going down.

76
00:03:24,660 --> 00:03:26,020
[ring]

77
00:03:26,240 --> 00:03:27,820
[ring]

78
00:03:28,940 --> 00:03:30,020
[bwang]

79
00:03:30,320 --> 00:03:31,600
[bwang]

80
00:03:31,800 --> 00:03:32,500
[doot]

81
00:03:32,780 --> 00:03:34,100
[doot]

82
00:03:34,220 --> 00:03:37,140
This one wants to be extra sure you got the
signal.

83
00:03:37,500 --> 00:03:38,000
[DOOT]

84
00:03:38,240 --> 00:03:39,540
[DOOT]

85
00:03:41,080 --> 00:03:42,140
[bwawnng]

86
00:03:42,620 --> 00:03:43,840
[bwawnng]

87
00:03:44,280 --> 00:03:44,780
[deet]

88
00:03:45,180 --> 00:03:46,680
[deeee]

89
00:03:47,480 --> 00:03:48,080
[bong]

90
00:03:48,380 --> 00:03:50,120
[bong]

91
00:03:50,460 --> 00:03:51,020
[ding]

92
00:03:51,780 --> 00:03:52,840
[ding]

93
00:03:53,140 --> 00:03:57,200
In some of Schindler’s Lifts, you’ll discover
a signal that isn’t just the same sound

94
00:03:57,200 --> 00:04:01,140
twice, but a two-tone version that’s definitely
not obnoxious.

95
00:04:01,700 --> 00:04:03,740
[Ding-Dong]

96
00:04:04,000 --> 00:04:08,480
Then, someone at Otis decided to copy them,
but make the sound barely audible.

97
00:04:09,220 --> 00:04:10,200
[tin-

98
00:04:10,200 --> 00:04:12,080
kle]

99
00:04:12,580 --> 00:04:15,400
Of course there are others that not only chime
twice

100
00:04:15,400 --> 00:04:15,900
[fing]

101
00:04:16,180 --> 00:04:17,120
[fing]

102
00:04:17,320 --> 00:04:18,860
but then just come right out and say

103
00:04:18,860 --> 00:04:20,300
which way they’re going.

104
00:04:20,620 --> 00:04:22,060
[Going down]
(in the smarmiest voice imagineable)

105
00:04:22,060 --> 00:04:26,600
These are really great for the visually impaired,
because you’ll not only know that the elevator is

106
00:04:26,600 --> 00:04:27,840
*going down*

107
00:04:27,840 --> 00:04:29,620
but also that it has reached
the

108
00:04:29,620 --> 00:04:31,740
*first floor*.

109
00:04:31,740 --> 00:04:35,200
But on the landing, just a simple audible
cue is enough.

110
00:04:35,200 --> 00:04:38,600
In fact it can be so simple that it’s just
ringing a bell.

111
00:04:38,780 --> 00:04:39,900
[clang]

112
00:04:40,200 --> 00:04:41,240
[clang]

113
00:04:41,460 --> 00:04:45,400
I’m a big believer in accessibility features
like this, in fact that’s the main reason

114
00:04:45,400 --> 00:04:47,680
I caption nearly all of my videos.

115
00:04:47,680 --> 00:04:51,880
And I really love subtle, almost unnoticeable
things like this.

116
00:04:51,880 --> 00:04:53,900
Maybe you have noticed a double chime before.

117
00:04:53,900 --> 00:04:56,069
And maybe you already knew what it meant.

118
00:04:56,069 --> 00:05:01,410
But many people, in fact I’d wager the majority,
haven’t yet put two and down together.

119
00:05:01,410 --> 00:05:04,539
What inspired this quick video was a clip
I heard on the radio.

120
00:05:04,539 --> 00:05:09,090
A crowded office building, and an elevator
arriving with a Ding Ding.

121
00:05:09,090 --> 00:05:11,490
The subject aks, is this going up?

122
00:05:11,490 --> 00:05:15,280
And I, in sync with the passengers, said “no,
down”.

123
00:05:15,280 --> 00:05:18,580
I really don’t know when I first learned
this little tidbit but ever since it’s been

124
00:05:18,600 --> 00:05:20,100
kind of a neat novelty.

125
00:05:20,100 --> 00:05:22,580
And it’s also fun to find the exceptions.

126
00:05:22,580 --> 00:05:25,129
In fact, I live in a building which is bucking
the trend.

127
00:05:25,129 --> 00:05:28,840
In a lot of older buildings, there may not
have been a signal of any kind.

128
00:05:28,840 --> 00:05:34,000
So, to make their elevators compliant, a signal
is added in the cab, right next to the door.

129
00:05:34,000 --> 00:05:38,740
Now, these elevators were updated in the last
five years or so from their original 1970’s

130
00:05:38,740 --> 00:05:43,410
equipment (which sadly removed what I’m
sure was a charming floor indicator in favor

131
00:05:43,410 --> 00:05:45,440
of this boring thing).

132
00:05:45,440 --> 00:05:48,979
And right here you’ll find a new-looking
pair of arrows.

133
00:05:48,979 --> 00:05:52,410
But you’ll also see that they don’t do
anything.

134
00:05:52,410 --> 00:05:54,420
This is what they’re probably supposed to
do.

135
00:05:54,500 --> 00:05:55,740
[synonym for ding I haven't used yet]

136
00:05:55,980 --> 00:06:00,320
It’s my guess that the residents in my building
got fed up with this noise (it is after all

137
00:06:00,330 --> 00:06:04,509
fairly loud) and got the elevator company
to disable it.

138
00:06:04,509 --> 00:06:08,710
And the chime is probably integral to the
indicators, as I see no reason to disable

139
00:06:08,710 --> 00:06:10,830
the lights in any other case.

140
00:06:10,830 --> 00:06:13,920
But now these elevators aren’t technically
ADA compliant.

141
00:06:14,960 --> 00:06:15,680
Oops?

142
00:06:16,200 --> 00:06:20,160
It may have been better to lower the volume
if possible, as the chime only needs to be

143
00:06:20,160 --> 00:06:23,020
10 decibels above ambient sound levels.

144
00:06:23,020 --> 00:06:25,020
That’s how Otis gets away with this.

145
00:06:25,080 --> 00:06:26,280
[tin-

146
00:06:26,340 --> 00:06:27,420
kle]

147
00:06:28,220 --> 00:06:32,480
Anyway, now you know why the elevator sometimes
chimes twice.

148
00:06:32,480 --> 00:06:34,840
It usually just means it’s going down.

149
00:06:34,840 --> 00:06:38,159
I’m curious to know if this is a standard
around the world.

150
00:06:38,159 --> 00:06:42,810
It seems like it could be, but a little web
searching (admittedly very little) didn’t

151
00:06:42,810 --> 00:06:44,580
turn anything useful up.

152
00:06:44,580 --> 00:06:49,080
To the 56% of my viewers that aren’t in
the US, please leave a comment to your country’s

153
00:06:49,080 --> 00:06:50,740
practices in this matter.

154
00:06:50,740 --> 00:06:52,380
I be a wee bit curious.

155
00:06:52,380 --> 00:06:53,760
Thanks for watching.

156
00:06:53,760 --> 00:06:56,280
Now if you’ll excuse me, I need a lift.

157
00:06:56,700 --> 00:07:00,500
♫ excruciatingly smooth jazz ♫

158
00:07:02,680 --> 00:07:07,020
Oh sure, ThyssenKrupp, those are totally real
dot matrix LED displays.

159
00:07:07,080 --> 00:07:08,780
Definitely real.

160
00:07:09,440 --> 00:07:13,280
While trying to get some footage of these
elevators being all busy-like, I happened

161
00:07:13,289 --> 00:07:15,700
to film what at first I thought was a malfunction.

162
00:07:21,770 --> 00:07:26,850
But then, the landing doors opened and hotel
team member started cleaning the top of the cab.

163
00:07:26,850 --> 00:07:30,710
I gotta give props to this hotel because they
(apparently fairly regularly) are mopping

164
00:07:30,710 --> 00:07:33,909
the tops of these elevators to keep them nice
and clean.

165
00:07:33,909 --> 00:07:37,500
By the way, this was the winner in my mind
for the most pleasant chime.

166
00:07:37,820 --> 00:07:38,440
[bong]

167
00:07:38,560 --> 00:07:40,460
[bong]

168
00:07:40,500 --> 00:07:41,740
That is aside from this.

169
00:07:41,940 --> 00:07:42,940
[clang]

170
00:07:43,240 --> 00:07:44,020
[clang]

171
00:07:44,140 --> 00:07:47,160
I’ll take a mechanical bell any day.

172
00:08:00,840 --> 00:08:01,840
That’s a good idea.