Costs much less than an elevator, and less than a full scale escalator. This could be made without "steps" because you must go at the escalator speed (can't advance further).

For the millions of buildings where the elevator does not reach the floor, or older buildings without elevators. Also for home use, garden and park stairways.

You could get your bike on it, and go up easily.
-- pashute, Aug 20 2013

Bike "escalator" railcar http://www.youtube....watch?v=D8GnnS0Pye0
The Single Foot Esc is half the width of this bike esc. and has a continuous belt, rather than rails and a railcar. [pashute, Aug 20 2013]

Rope handhold http://publicradio1.../05/clothesline.jpg
[rcarty, Aug 20 2013]

Hanging bus grips http://4.bp.blogspo...416_BusGrips800.jpg
[pashute, Aug 21 2013]

Can anybody help me think this thru?

A company called Richtech that makes assembly lines will be building it, and Lustig Elevators will get it thru all the safety guidelines.

But to start off, I need a better idea of how I'll be attaching it to the banister, and what the best way to control it would be. It has to be simple and cheap, but safe as well.
-- pashute, Aug 20 2013


I wouldn't bother with a bannister but have a rope handrail that moves along with it.

I like the thought that you stand on one foot all the way up/down.
-- po, Aug 20 2013


Safety requires three points of contact, so it would have to be one foot and two arms. You might get away with contact with another part of the body like the hip, or the buttocks.

A one foot escalator could have a conveyor belt against the side of the wall with a moving banister and a moving foot stand. That way lean against the wall mounted conveyor belt hold the hand rail and step on the foot rest. A bevel gear connects conveyor belt to foot rest.

[po]'s idea might be good aswell. Have the single foot escalator with wall conveyor belt, and an unpowered clothesline like rope handhold suspended above. That would probably lower the price, and not interfere with an already existing banister.
-- rcarty, Aug 20 2013


if you have an unpowered rope handrail then two passengers on the escalator at the same time may result in a bit of a tug of war.
-- po, Aug 20 2013


Not if they are moving at the same speed, but yes if the clothesline were to be halted by someone or sped up that could be dangerous.
-- rcarty, Aug 20 2013


//clothesline

So, it's an escalator and clothes drier combined?
-- not_morrison_rm, Aug 20 2013


oh, yes!
-- po, Aug 20 2013


You mean with hanging thingies like in city buses for standing up travel?
-- pashute, Aug 21 2013


If you're going to have hanging thingies, then they might as well hang down to the floor, have a foot hold, and escalate the rider itself.
-- rcarty, Aug 22 2013


"On side of stairway" - but wouldn't this mean you'd be bumping into people on the way up/down? You're not going to be able to exactly match the speed of stair-takers, who will have different rates. And you won't have enough room to pass because you've only got a foot-width of space to yourself.

Unless you mean a kind of thing where you stand sideways, butt to the wall but then you're going to have one leg higher, therefore a bent knee poking the stair takers.

Also I think there's some kind of dangerous thing involving getting your foot caught on stairs or people or yourself but I can't visualize it clearly enough to describe.
-- tatterdemalion, Aug 22 2013


I thought the idea was that it goes outside the staircase, ie it's cludged on the side?
-- not_morrison_rm, Aug 22 2013


[^morisson], It takes up a tiny bit of the staircase.

[tatter], You won't bump into people, because its just for getting to your house on the fourth floor, in the mostly vacant building staircase, usually, there won't be interference.

For avoiding people coming down the steps, while going up the Single Foot Escalator, since you have a second foot to "step off" easily, you simply step off, smile, say "good day", and wait for them to pass.

Going up, presumably people will use the one foot escalator unless they are FASTER going up on foot. In which case there is no problem

Presumably going down the stairs is much less of a problem. So this escalator goes up only.

(also [tatter]'s safety concerns): Safety will be thought through with elevator engineers who are experts at making this kind of system a very safe ride.

Although recently there was an escalator accident, and also when the escalator rapid walkways were introduced (I think in Heathrow or Skiphol) there was an accident that stopped the whole project.

Something like the Hindenburg Zepelin or the first atmospheric monorail (which killed the dignitaries at its inauguration.

I don't live in an apartment building but know many who do, and who don't have elevators, and who could use this idea.

[rc] - Hanging from a grip, means that the "handrail now turned hang-rail" be able to carry a person. How do you accomplish that? Not trivial.
-- pashute, Aug 28 2013



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