No-touch elevator at Hyderabad airport

Users can wave hands to call elevator, point finger as command for a certain floor

GMR-led Hyderabad International Airport has executed a pilot project of turning an elevator at the departures level from traditional push-button controls to safer, touch-less alternative for passenger safety.

The touch-less elevator control system is based on infrared technology with developers using an array of infrared sensors to detect the spatial position of the user’s fingers as they pass through the sensing plane.

Elevator users have to wave their hands closer to the sensor to call the elevator at any floor they are standing. Once inside the elevator, they can point their finger towards a floor number as a command for a designated floor. The sensor can detect interaction from a distance of 0.1-10 cm from the button surface to enable users to make their selection with absolutely no physical contact, informed an official spokesperson on Monday.

Soon, all elevators across the airport terminal building will be tuned for this automation. The airport has already gone for fully e-boarding exercise, zero-contact and fully sanitised services like self-check in kiosks, tech-enabled entry gates, self-baggage drop, virtual information desk for passengers, UV enabled disinfection of Automatic Tray Retrieval Systems (ATRS) etc.

The airport has also restored close to 93% of its domestic destinations, a press release said.