You’ve probably done this a million times: press the button, wait for the doors to open, ride up or down to your destination.  But if the elevator from a company in Argentina catches on, you may be taking that ride inside homes a lot more frequently.

The Residential Pneumatic Vacuum Elevator can installed within hours (yes, hours), do not need a pit to be excavated, and is rated at 450 pounds.  It essentially works like a vacuum tube, putting greater pressure underneath the cab to lift it to the destination, or decreasing the pressure for the ride down.

In the event of a power failure, the elevator descends to the next level and locks open.  And it is compact, with a footprint of just 1 square meter.  Starting and stopping is surprisingly smooth because the movement is controlled by air pressure rather than by mechanical means.  And the tube is clear, like those fancy glass elevators you see in some hotels.

Is a pneumatic elevator right for you?  There are some drawbacks—the cab is tiny, for example—other models that are rated to carry more weight or more volume (if you have a wheelchair, for example) might be more appropriate. Give us a call to review the options.