As city dwellers spend more and more time in buildings that reach higher into the sky, vertical transport — and waiting for elevators — has become a fact of life.
If you have visited some high-profile skyscrapers, you're probably familiar with PORT technology, which offers a smarter and smoother journey as you simply swipe an access card, choose your destination floor and then are guided to the fastest and most efficient elevator.
Schindler Transit Management Group, the developer of the PORT (Personal Occupant Requirement Terminal) system, has now taken this innovation to a whole new level: a smartphone-based application called myPORT that does away with the need for an RFID (radio-frequency identification) access card.
Schindler's smartphone-based myPORT application allows occupants to gain access to the building and elevators without having to use an RFID card system. PHOTO COURTESY OF SCHINDLER LTD
In a demonstration video, a myPORT user moves seamlessly through multiple levels of security in a building without having to physically touch any doorknobs or punch in any security codes.
The journey starts once the user steps into the building equipped with the technology. The system detects the user and sends a code along with a notification message to the user's phone. The user unlocks the phone, either through a PIN code or a biometric system, and holds it in front of the system's screen to gain access to the building.
Once the user is inside, the system intelligently detects every movement based on the location of the smartphone, pre-programming elevators for the destination and automatically opening doors as they are approached.
"How much more convenient could life get?" was a common response among those watching the video.
Of course, for such a system to gain widespread acceptance, everyone entering a highrise building will be required own and carry a smartphone — and to make sure its battery doesn't run down.
While owning smartphones is certainly an increasing trend, it is still a personal choice and there are still millions of city dwellers who own conventional mobiles because the functions are sufficient for their needs.
The video further demonstrates how visitors without the myPORT application can gain access to a building by receiving an invitation text message — again only on a smartphone — from a building occupant. The visitor then shows a colour-coded video to the security screen to begin the access process.
While RFID cards can easily be issued to all tenants or temporary users, issuing a smartphone to anyone who doesn't have one is hardly an option.
As well, although the myPORT application is free to download, myPORT is not a stand-alone system, but an additional feature of the previous PORT technology. In other words, the building itself needs to have the old PORT system installed or myPORT will not work.
Infrastructure could also be a potential limitation for this "total freedom of movement throughout the space" as described.
The totally seamless journey can only occur if the doors are willing to open automatically. So, if a building has old wooden doors with knobs, or push-and-pull glass doors, costly upgrades will be needed.
In addition, as the system relies on the stability of the internet connection, this could prose as a potential challenge in countries where communication infrastructure is weak.
Some minor glitches occurred even at the demonstration we attended in a room at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, where the WiFi system did not seem to be up to the task.
Of course, there were no actual doors opening or elevators stopping at the demonstration, but red and green lights were used to represent the status of different operations. So when the demonstrator with the phone walked toward a door, it took a little longer than expected before the light turned green.
Security could be another concern for myPORT users. Although the system uses a combination of timing, building topology and multiple data channels to undertake four-step security verification, the journey inside the building may not be guaranteed to be safe.
The system is detecting the location of the phone rather than who the person is. So anybody with the phone can easily gain access to all rooms deemed open to that user. What if something happened with a user's phone after she went through this e-banking level security system?
However, as more new skyscrapers are constructed, there's a chance the technology will become mainstream if building owners are willing to invest more for better technology and infrastructure.
Dr Paul Friedli, the head of advanced research of Schindler Group, the father of the myPORT innovation, is confident that it will be adopted quickly and naturally.
"Everybody who sees it will like to have it. As soon as it is available, they will go with myPORT," he said, adding that prototypes were now being tested in New York City and the Barrangaroo district of Sydney.
"I think this technology provides us with some exciting possibilities because as buildings get taller, traffic has to be managed in a more efficient way; elevator systems have to be smart, seamless and more integrated," added Jujudhan Jena, chief executive of Jardine Schindler Group (JSG.)
"PORT Technology allows us to perform in a very efficient manner and at the same time heighten the security."
He said Asia would adapt to the technology very well as the region was among the first adopters of destination-controlled systems 20 years ago.
"The entire region remains quite optimistic, with robust economic growth and rapid urbanisation. We are lucky that we are operating in this part of the world," he said.
JSG is a joint venture between Jardine Matheson in Hong Kong and Schindler Group of Switzerland, which installs and modernises elevators, escalators and moving walkways. The company is present in Brunei, Cambodia, Hong Kong, Macau, Malaysia, Myanmar, Indonesia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Taiwan and Vietnam.