The Unused steps moves below, hidden to the eye.
The name escalator was first applied to a moving stairway shown at the Paris Exposition of 1900. Originally it was the trademark of the Otis Elevator Company .
With the exception of a few spiral and curved ones,
Escalators have by default followed a fairly straight path -
In Conventional escalators we see today, the “unused steps” moves underneath once they have reached the highest position.
Hence to carry passengers both up and down, two separate escalators are needed.
With the exception of a few spiral and curved ones,
Escalators have by default followed a fairly straight path -
In Conventional escalators we see today, the “unused steps” moves underneath once they have reached the highest position.
Hence to carry passengers both up and down, two separate escalators are needed.
The steps are in one continous loop
Now a researcher Jack Levy, an Emeritus Professor of Mechanical Engineering at City University London at City University London has developed a new type of escalator called the Levytator that is capable of following freeform curves.
This is done by replacing the traditional rectangular steps with curved modules that also allows the modules to be placed in a continuous loop.
This then acheives two goals, namely it can follow almost any curved path upwards, flattening and straightening out, before descending again in one continuous loop.
Secondly only one power source is required to carry passengers both up and down. Additionally, the weight of passengers traveling down can be used to offset the weight of passengers traveling up to further enhance energy savings. Have a look at the video below to see this ingeniously simple design
This is done by replacing the traditional rectangular steps with curved modules that also allows the modules to be placed in a continuous loop.
This then acheives two goals, namely it can follow almost any curved path upwards, flattening and straightening out, before descending again in one continuous loop.
Secondly only one power source is required to carry passengers both up and down. Additionally, the weight of passengers traveling down can be used to offset the weight of passengers traveling up to further enhance energy savings. Have a look at the video below to see this ingeniously simple design
As a result of mathematical modeling Levy predicts that a half-loaded Levytator with the down path full and the up path empty would use half the energy of the two equivalent escalators. While a fully loaded one, up and down would still save around 20% power compared to two traditional escalators.
Besides since the curved modules are always "on top" and all the steps can be accessed from above, maintenance is much easier. Additionally, as no excavation is required for installation, the Levytator could be placed on top of an existing staircase.
"This could be particularly useful in the heritage sector, where the system could be placed on top of a grand staircase in a listed stately home, providing better access for elderly and disabled visitors, but not destroying the fabric of the building," points out Levy.
With such an ingeniously simple design and the obvious energy savings, it's hard to see Levytators not taking off. The technology has already been patented in the U.K., Europe, the U.S.A. and China. Revy has already built a scale model Levytator and City University London is currently in talks with investors, escalator manufacturers, architects and property developers worldwide, to build and install the first full-size Levytator.
Besides since the curved modules are always "on top" and all the steps can be accessed from above, maintenance is much easier. Additionally, as no excavation is required for installation, the Levytator could be placed on top of an existing staircase.
"This could be particularly useful in the heritage sector, where the system could be placed on top of a grand staircase in a listed stately home, providing better access for elderly and disabled visitors, but not destroying the fabric of the building," points out Levy.
With such an ingeniously simple design and the obvious energy savings, it's hard to see Levytators not taking off. The technology has already been patented in the U.K., Europe, the U.S.A. and China. Revy has already built a scale model Levytator and City University London is currently in talks with investors, escalator manufacturers, architects and property developers worldwide, to build and install the first full-size Levytator.