Stairs That Store Potential Energy To Make Climbing Them Easier

This is a video demonstration of the “energy-recycling” stairs developed by engineers from Georgia Tech and Emory University. When descended, the stairs compress and store potential energy to make climbing them later easier. But what if nobody came down them before I need to go up? Do they require twice as much energy to climb then? Whatever. *presses elevator call button*

As the stairs compress on your descent, the engineers have calculated they save around 26 percent of the energy you normally use to brace yourself as each foot makes contact. And on the way back up, the energy-recycling stairs make it around 37 percent easier on the knee, making these stairs ideal for people who are pregnant, dealing with mobility issues, or are just simply out of shape.

I used to live on the fourth floor of a building that didn’t have an elevator so I had no choice but to take the stairs every day and I hated it. Carrying groceries, moving new furniture, disposing of bodies — it was all such a hassle. “Wait, what?” Nothing. Plus if taking the stairs is so healthy for you, then why didn’t I lose any weight? “Maybe because half the groceries you were carrying up those stairs was ice cream?” Oh I’m sorry, I thought this was supposed to be a judgement-free zone.

Keep going for the whole video. Also, I like that guy’s outfit. “It’s a motion-capture suit.” Whatever, I’m into it.

VIDEO

Thanks to RK, who agrees the best stairs are escalators or those ones with the little bucket seat they sell to old people during the commercials between game shows.

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