3 ms·

Have you ever seen elevators where you select a floor from the outside and it gets assigned to one of multiple elevators? Those seem like they might be doing so

• disposedtrolley 5y ago
  I used to have those elevators where I worked and everybody hated them. I think the algorithm was tuned for efficiency, so you’d be waiting for an elevator for minutes as it tries to batch everyone up, while a dozen other elevators sit idle. This was made worse through the need to specify the number of people who are travelling to a specific floor so the algorithm can allocate enough space in each elevator. Large groups often ignored this so you’d often find that an elevator you’ve waited minutes for is full, and start the dance all over again. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Destination_dispatch https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Destination_dispatch
  • bombcar 5y ago
    This is the problem - if the system goes beyond “what floor should I idle at” and “do I idle door open” people get mad at it because of apparent unfairness and inefficiency even if it is actually more efficient overall. Same thing happens with traffic lights.
    • jchw 5y ago
      This got downvoted, but I’m pretty sure it is objectively correct. I feel like the same sentiment occurs with one queue vs multiple queues.
      • bombcar 5y ago
        Continued small motion in a long single queue feels “fairer” than multiple queues - and may actually be. But I also know most people prefer a driving trip where they’re continually moving rather than one where they’re basically stopped - even if the second is shorter in time. “Apparent fairness” is an important design criteria for dealing with the public. Even if the system is actually incredibly unfair.