Mitsubishi Electric launching safety-focused Series Z escalators
By Darren Murph 
posted October 13th 2006 4:22PM
posted October 13th 2006 4:22PM
While safety concerns over Wii demo stations being loosed in Wal-Marts across the country are certainly debatable, there's no denying that tangling with an escalator could indeed be a life-threatening experience. Mitsubishi Electric is out to improve upon the long-standing mall centerpiece by making it "safer through superior design improvements." The ¥1,660,000 ($13,881) Series Z employs a "screwless inner deck" to keep those shoe laces and dangling headphone cables from instigating an accident, and also boasts a "comb-shaped" exit ramp that will supposedly make departing the traveling stairs a bit less abrupt than normal. Moreover, it can automatically detect if anyone leans over the railing or comes close to getting caught up in the track, after which it broadcasts an "audible warning" alerting everyone on board of your apparent inability to ride an escalator correctly. The Series Z -- completely pimped out with "balustrade lighting" and LED indicators -- should start hitting megamalls later this month.
It's called natural selection, and Mitsubishi Electric just screwed it up :(
Re: Cosmos
As an engineer I have often struggled with whether I'm doing the human race more longterm harm or good with every design. As machines become safer, more efficient, and more autonomous, we become softer, slower, and more dependent.
What this herd needs is a good culling.
"Listen, not a year goes by, not a year, that I don't hear about some escalator accident involving some bastard kid which could have easily been avoided had some parent--I don't care which one--but some parent conditioned him to fear and respect that escalator!" -Brodie (Mallrats)
Amen, cosmos.
Warning to today's children: tie your damn shoes. And pick up your dangling headphone cables, so you don't lose your default earbuds, okay?
I don't think that was a comb-shaped exit, rather it was a re-design of the shape of the comb at the exit. If you look at the end of an escalator there is a "comb" that goes through the grooves on the surface of each step.
Not to mention all the wonderful skirts those old perverted buggers would rip off when going down to the tubes. God bless women and there bloomers, actually god bless and an extra pence to those not wearing any.
> The ¥1,660,000 ($13,881) Series Z
There's no way it's that cheap. I think someone is missing a zero.
The salvage value of that much metal is probably close to $5000 alone.
Exactly. The escalator in my new campus cost $200,000 alone. In the new rapid transit contruction project in Vancouver, they're only including escalators in something like 25% of the stops because they cost so much.
I bet the $13000 is for the track or something. The steps are hollow, so it isn't tons of metal as you would think.
Someone besides Otis manufacturers escalators?
The escalators in my House cost $400,000 that's cheap.
if its that cheap, i'll get myself one for my flat someday… just have to figure out how heavy it is before doing that.
(and having another floor whould also be cool)