News Releases

Hitachi Develops a Touchless Operating Panel Establishing an
Elevator Without Physical Floor Buttons that Allows Users to
Experience a Completely New Sensation

The Touchless Use of Elevators Is Possible Just by Passing a Finger over the Panel

A movie of touchless operating panel demonstration

Tokyo, September 13, 2022 – Hitachi, Ltd. (TSE: 6501, "Hitachi") and Hitachi Building Systems Co., Ltd. ("Hitachi Building Systems") today announced that they developed a touchless operating panel establishing an elevator without physical floor buttons*1 that allows users to experience a completely new sensation.
This newly developed touchless operating panel replaces the floor buttons normally found in an elevator car and enables elevator users to register a destination floor just by passing a finger over the floor displayed on the panel (LCD monitor), enabling the touchless use of the elevator.
This newly developed touchless operating panels have been adopted to elevators in Tokyo Midtown Yaesu completed in August 31, 2022.

*1

Emergency buttons must be physical buttons.

Features of the Touchless Operating Panel

1. Enabling the Touchless Use of Elevators Just by Passing a Finger over the Panel

An elevator user can register the destination floor just by passing their finger over the floor displayed on the touchless operating panel's monitor in an elevator car. An infrared sensor detects the finger's position and registers the floor, enabling the touchless use of the elevator.

2. Realizing a Futuristic Elevator Design Without Floor Buttons*1

While conventional operating panels must have as many floor buttons as the building has floors, the touchless operating panel enables the operating panel to be simplified and miniaturized, making unprecedented futuristic elevator designs possible as since it displays floors on an LCD monitor.

3. Panel Screens Increasing User Convenience

The panel has a direct registration screen including the frequently used floors, such as the lobby, that can display a set of up to six floors and information about them, and a keypad registration screen that allows users to enter their destination floor using the numerical pad. The direct registration screen is the initial screen to increase user convenience.
Additionally, the installation of a card reader in an elevator car linked to the panel enables the display of special floors that only people with registered card have access to on the screen to improve security and convenience at the same time. *2
It is also possible to flexibly change the floors or floor information that is being displayed based on changes in the building's tenants.

*2

When using a card which only grants access to one destination floor, there is no need to pass a finger over the touchless operating panel because the destination floor is automatically registered.

Touchless Operating Panel Screen
(Left: Direct Registration Screen, Right: Keypad Registration Screen)

How to Use the Touchless Operating Panel

When a user passes their finger over the destination floor on the direct registration screen, the floor is registered and displayed on the left side of the panel. If an incorrect floor is registered, the user can hold their finger over the floor displayed on the left side of the panel for several seconds to cancel the registration.

To register a floor that is not displayed in the direct registration screen, the user can switch to the keypad registration screen and enter their destination floor by passing their finger over the numerical pad.

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About Hitachi, Ltd.

Hitachi drives Social Innovation Business, creating a sustainable society with data and technology. We will solve customers' and society's challenges with Lumada solutions leveraging IT, OT (Operational Technology) and products, under the business structure of Digital Systems & Services, Green Energy & Mobility, Connective Industries and Automotive Systems. Driven by green, digital, and innovation, we aim for growth through collaboration with our customers. The company's consolidated revenues for fiscal year 2021 (ended March 31, 2022) totaled 10,264.6 billion yen ($84,136 million USD), with 853 consolidated subsidiaries and approximately 370,000 employees worldwide. For more information on Hitachi, please visit the company's website at https://www.hitachi.com.