Mitsubishi has just finished installing five monster-sized elevators in a building in Osaka, Japan, each capable of carrying 80 people apiece, by Mitsubishi’s measurements, for a total of 11,574 pounds of capacity versus the 1,000 to 6,000 pounds normal elevators carry. According to CBS, these are the largest elevators ever constructed, measuring at 11.15 ft. wide, 9.2 ft. long and 8.5 ft. tall.
It’s worth pointing out that these elevators wouldn’t get as much bang for their buck if they were dealing with American passengers:
According to the CDC’s most recent survey, the average American male weighs 191 pounds, and the average American female weighs 164 pounds. The 2000 Census pegs the male-female ratio at 49-51: [(49 x 191)+(164 x 51)]/100 gives us an average American weight of 177.23 pounds. Divide the elevator capacity of 11,574 pounds by that, and you get just 65 American passengers.
That’s still a lot, but it goes to show a mega-elevator just doesn’t get you as far in some places.
