Non-Contact and Non-Intrusive Add-on IoT Device for Wireless Remote Elevator Control

Abstract

This work proposes an Internet-of-Things (IoT) device for remote elevator control. The new contribution of this proposal to the state-of-the-art is that it can convert a manually operated elevator into a remote controlled elevator without requiring any intrusive manipulation or wiring connection in the elevator. This IoT device has been designed as an add-on non-contact tool which is placed over the original elevator button panel, using servomotors to press the original buttons. This design allows its fast deployment as a remote control tool that increases elevator accessibility through the use of messages, a webpage or a QR code. Some application examples of this proposal are non-contact use of elevators in pandemic conditions, and the unsupervised use of elevators by autonomous cleaning or delivery mobile robots. The experimental evaluation of the IoT device in real operational conditions has validated its non-contact control features.