An elevator activation system provides virtual activation of one or more buttons by passengers. An optical sensor or time-of-flight camera is positioned near buttons of the elevator and projects an optical curtain over buttons of the elevator. Disturbances in the optical curtain are detected and an exact location of a disturbance in the optical curtain is communicated to a sensor controller which then virtually activates a button correlated to the particular location of the disturbance. The sensor controller communicates with an elevator controller such that the elevator is controlled based on the particular function activated in response to virtual activation of the button. The elevator activation system may further include a user feedback feature configured to signify to a passenger that a button has been virtually activated without physically contacting the button.