The Up escalator can be set to totally freewheel, in which case one person can run up it if they're fast and/or light enough, or with variable resistance, allow a few people at a time to traverse. This limits the lineups in the actual offices.

(The variable resistance is from a generator; the drawn off power runs the staff elevators.)
-- FlyingToaster, Feb 07 2013

Can you explain this a little more? It's somewhat cryptic.
-- UnaBubba, Feb 07 2013


mmm... better ?
-- FlyingToaster, Feb 07 2013


Gotcha. So, the down escalators drive a generator that powers the up elevators?

Nice energy capture. Dunno if it will be enough to lift an elevator.
-- UnaBubba, Feb 07 2013


If it "totally freewheels", then when you step on it at the high end, that step is going to accelerate, along with you, all the way to the bottom. You can, however, provide resistance in the form of electrical-energy generation/capture (the act of drawing power from a generator creates resistance to the mechanical motion of the generator's axle). You want this resistance, of course, to ensure that the going-down escalator doesn't end up doing it too fast.

Trying to go up could be a problem. If it totally freewheels then the steps you step on will go down as fast as you step on them, getting you nowhere. Again, resistance can be provided through electric-power generation, but here you will probably want more resistance than in the down-escalator, so that the steps don't move too much downward while you are ascending.
-- Vernon, Feb 08 2013


yes, Vernon, that's actually the idea :)

(I replaced the "Up" which got lost somewhere in the rewrite)

But, if somebody took a running start at the escalator, they could probably get up it if they were fast and light enough, given the time it would take to transfer enough momentum from the runner to the escalator before it would be moving too fast to overcome.

But it would usually be set to allow more than one person to race up.

More an exercise in social cooperation since the more people on it, the less likely that any will get up.
-- FlyingToaster, Feb 08 2013



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