Aju Business Daily

SEOUL -- Hyundai Elevator, a leading elevator maker in South Korea, released a new elevator with the brand name of N:EX applied with non-face-to-face technology such as smartphone or motion call button calls. The brand used an ionizer air purifier installed with high-efficiency filters capable of preventing the spread of airborne bacterial and viral organisms.

For residential applications, Hyundai Elevator said that the N:EX brand enables elevator calls without physical contact by registering the desired target floor in a smartphone application. Motion call buttons for commercial buildings recognize movements such as hand gestures. Elevators equipped with motion call buttons will be introduced at a premium outlet in South Korea and an apartment complex in Dalian, China.

The life span of N:EX increased by two to three times by adopting carbon fiber belts instead of metal ropes. The carbon fiber belt is coated with high molecular materials to increase the lifespan of vital elevator parts. N:EX elevators adopted an ionizer air purifier installed with high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters, which have been used by modern airliners to reduce the spread of airborne pathogens in recirculated air.

"The market is rapidly changing as COVID-19 raises awareness of shared space hygiene and elevators, which used to be only a means of transportation, become a standard for building value," Hyundai Elevator CEO Song Seung-bong said in a statement on February 2. "We will differentiate products and services through the introduction of new technology and IT convergence to set up a new normal in elevators."

The coronavirus pandemic has called for the enhanced hygiene of elevators. Antibacterial films and materials are widely used in South Korea for elevator cabins, door handles and other vulnerable places to prevent the invasion of viruses.