China develops elevator response vehicle

China has developed its first elevator emergency response vehicle to enhance elevator safety to address the concerns over frequent occurrence of accidents, official media here reported.

Developed by a technology company in Qinhuangdao, north China's Hebei Province, the vehicle is equipped with 18 monitoring devices.

With spatial vector data acquisition technology and GPRS wireless communication, it can identify any maintenance issues with urban elevators and provide early warnings to increase elevator safety, the Science and Technology Daily reported yesterday.

Chen Zhonglin, president of the company, said when the vehicle drives along a road, it can receive information from all nearby elevators equipped with a "black box," which holds key data and information about what is happening to the elevator. After analysing operating data and finding any issues, the maintenance crew travelling in the vehicle can fix the problems.

The vehicle also carries about 30 pieces of rescue equipment, including life-detection instruments, so that if it receives a distress signal, people trapped in the elevator can be rescued as soon as possible.

In recent years, elevator accidents have occurred frequently and raised public concern in China.

Li Shoulin, head of the National Elevator Inspection and Testing Centre, said the vehicle is a breakthrough that could improve the efficiency of elevator emergency rescue, state-run news agency Xinhua reported.