An Israeli engineer has designed a "elecopter" that includes an elevator in a helicopter, enabling it to rescue people from high-rise fires or from ravines too narrow for regular helicopters to navigate. The invention could have saved people in the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on New York City's Twin Towers, said Nehemia Cohen, whose Olive Engineering firm designed the new invention.
His helicopter's cabin is designed like a sling basket that is connected to sets of cables, like an elevator. The helicopter can lower the cabin up to 1,000 feet, a distance that would prevent the heat of the fire from damaging the aircraft. "The basis of the idea is to separate the rescue unit from the helicopter," Cohen told Globes.
The elecopter also can be used as a flying ambulance in crowded urban areas. A simplified version of a sealed cabin that can be connected to a helicopter costs $3.5 million. Cohen said he is conducting negotiations with the Defense Ministry and is hoping that the elecopter also will find its way to large American cities. "People will feel safe with one or two helicopters like these in the country," he said. "They'll say, 'if I get trapped, they'll have a way of rescuing me.'"