Willy Wonka's glass elevator moves one step closer to reality with this new design for lifts that can move horizontally as well as vertically, and which promise to never make you wait longer than 30 seconds.

German company ThyssenKrupp has branded cable-hoisted elevators as a thing of the past, and has launched its design for a system of compact elevators controlled by powerful magnets.

Doing away with the traditional rope and counterweight – a system that has been used ever since the birth of "the Teagle" lift in 1835 – ThyssenKrupp's Multi system would allow for several cabins in one shaft.