IN A CROWDED city like Hong Kong, skyscrapers seem to be the easy solution. But they are not foolproof. In line with this year's theme City Charm, the Joint School Science Exhibition (JSSE) provides clues which could lead to improvements in high-rise buildings.
Participants have used their scientific knowledge and creativity to spruce up cities as they turn on the charm for the visitors.
Rush To Heaven by SKH Lam Kau Mow Secondary School focuses on elevators and how to reduce their travel time.
Unlike the traditional lift, the new version has no rails or cables. It is driven by a magnetic field, with electricity being supplied by columns located at the four corners of the compartment.
'Since there are no rails in our design, the friction between the lift and the surrounding area is largely reduced. So we can get to our destination in a shorter period of time,' explained project leader Patrick Fung Hok-kin. 'Also, the ride is quieter since no motors are used.'
While one team was thinking of a quicker way to carry people up and down inside a building, another group of students invented a locomotion system for the outer wall of a skyscraper.
