Mitsubishi Electric launching safety-focused Series Z escalators

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.