Discovery News reports that since the original idea for a “revolving staircase” back in the late 1850s, the whole concept of what an escalator is, and how it works, have come a long way. Escalators, when they’re working of course, are a marvel for getting from Point A to Point B. That’s particularly true when Point A is very far underground, and Point B is, oh, let’s say 413 feet above that.
But there are cool ways to do that beyond just the old up-down design. For example, you could check out the “spiral” escalator. Or for more than 2,500 feet of escalating fun, have a look at Hong Kong’s Central-Mid-Levels system!
And now, a researcher in Britain has an idea for putting a new twist on the ol’ escalator, literally. Jack Levy, an emeritus professor of mechanical engineering at City University in London has come up with an escalator that, well, twists and bends in just about any direction. He’s patented the idea, and called it, yep, the “Levytator.”