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The Down Lift

 Going down? Fitter people, fitter planet, thanks to the down-only-lift
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We all need to be more healthy.

The planet needs less fossil fuel burning.

So we simply make lifts in tall buildings "down only" and fit them with generators instead of motors.

People walk up the stairs (lifts now refuse to go up with any human contents, less able bodied people get a special pass). People then take the lifts down, harvesting the energy expended by the people on the way up. The lifts go straight back up (less waiting for people at the top) and wait for their next cargo of precious energy.

It would be easy to implement using existing infrastructure, and it would save companies money: so no more downsizing, just downlifting.

Extensions to this plan could include paying people for their down trips, a credit system for frequent downers, etc.

—Mat-C, Jun 27 2005

You'd like this race, methinks http://www.esbnyc.c...ents_runup_2003.cfm
Nine and a half minutes to run up the Empire State Building. [DrCurry, Jun 27 2005]

[link]






       I seem to recall from Physics lessons that you expend as much energy going downstairs as up. Or something.   

       Either way, why have any elevators at all? One thing that frustrates me about my present office locations is that we *cannot* take the stairs (one way doors on the fire exits). I get my chief exercise from running up stairs, and I would happily walk both ways.
—DrCurry, Jun 27 2005
   

       I like the "paying people for (the option of more physical effort)" suggestion. Put an end to the bickering over who has the closer time clock.
—reensure, Jun 27 2005
   

       A better idea would be if the buttons only opened the elevator on the floor above where you were. You would push it, then run upstairs and ride all the way down to the ground. You would then have paid the elevator back, with interest, for having brought you up to your floor in the morning.
—bungston, Jun 28 2005
   

       This is a lousy idea. If enacted and enforced then there'll be no tenants for any office or residential space more than a couple of stories above street level. The real estate markets in built-up areas will crumble. All new construction will be limited to one or two stories and the sprawl will be severe.
—bristolz, Jun 28 2005
   

       Never occurred to me. [marked-for-deletion] let's all.
—reensure, Jun 28 2005
   

       Pah, you're all too lazy :) In case you hadn't noticed, this is halfbakery.com. It's not meant to be too serious. Don't worry, I won't force you to start exercising just yet.   

       >I seem to recall from Physics lessons that you expend as much energy going downstairs as up. Or something.   

       Nope. Not at all. Not by humans, not by lifts.
—Mat-C, Jun 28 2005
   

       For the real converts, use a slippery pole with water pumped through the centre. The friction from hands would heat the water.
—Ling, Jun 28 2005
   

       After a while there would be people with very strong legs. Allow them the option of a rope climb all the way to the top to work some upper body stenght into the mix.   
      
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