It takes work to go upstairs, but it doesn’t have to. That’s why elevators were invented. If you want an elevator in your home, though, it takes some serious construction. Why not travel through pneumatic tubes like the Jetsons? No, seriously, you can.
Dayton Elevators makes pneumatic vacuum elevators that can be easily installed in any house with the right amount of space. Indeed, they are glass tubes that look very similar to George Jetson used to travel through the clouds, only slightly less futuristic. These tubes actually require a small cab that’s pushed up and down with air pressure. Higher pressure below pushes the cab up towards the lower pressure air. It’s the exact same method that banks use to move cash from your car into the building, except on a larger scale. And much more slowly. These bad boys only move one foot every two seconds.
Pneumatic tubes are actually on the up and up lately. After decades of lying dormant, they’re once again becoming a popular means for moving documents around big office buildings. And, last year, a restaurant that transported food through pneumatic tubes opened in New Zealand. Will they take over the suburban home next? It seems unlikely. These pneumatic elevators have been around since 1999, but Dayton Elevator says they have only installed about 300 of them in the company’s 15 years in existence. They’re still pretty badass, nevertheless. [Neatorama]