Despite many advances in technology, the elevator has not changed in over 150 years: a single cab hoisted up an and down in an otherwise empty shaft. This shaft is one of the most expensive, underused and inefficient pieces of real estate in the world. At street level and below ground, as soon as a taxi cab or underground train passes, the next follows on its tail. These are looped transportation systems — multi-directional, adaptable and super-efficient. Why shouldn’t elevators behave the same way?

IUMO/v is a research project that achieves this. With the advent of autonomous vehicles, a transport revolution is poised to radically transform the way we move within our cities. IUMO/v leverages these advances and extends them vertically to achieve a three-dimensional urban mobility protocol that is on-demand, ultra-responsive and point-to-point. Imagine a fully-integrated digital and physical infrastructure in which your journey begins at home, pauses at your favourite cafe and ends directly on your 55th floor office. Throughout this journey, privacy and experience are paramount: catch up on your book or immerse yourself in the panoramic views of the city around you.