Technabob » stairs

Stair Lift for Fat Lazy Dogs – Why Not Just Carry Them?

Technabob — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 15:30:48 +0000

The way we treat our pets like our children, most domesticated animals are lazy enough already. But judging by the looks of this wacky invention, we’re ready to take things to a whole new level – the second floor.

Designed by UK pet insurance company MORE TH>N, this prototype lift would help lazy and fat animals get up the stairs without having to lift so much as a paw. Dubbed the “Stair of the Dog 2022,” the lift is based on those ones designed to help the elderly and disabled get up and down stairs. The insurance provider designed the concept to raise awareness about pet obesity, but says that they’ve actually been approached by retailers who want to manufacture and distribute the lift.

Based on the timing, I’m wondering if this is an early April Fools’ prank. However, after living with two elderly 100 pound plus dogs who couldn’t get up or down the stairs, I could actually see a practical application for a version for larger, disabled pets. That said, any of you who want to use it to help your 8 pound pekingese up the stairs just need to get to the gym more often.

[via Newslite via Petslady]

Piece of Glass Staircase From Apple Store Auctioned Off on Ebay

Lambert Varias — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 12:46:32 +0000

In a ridiculous attempt to cash in on fanboyism, eBay seller heylookitskibbe tried to auction off a piece of the spiral glass staircase from the Apple store on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan. One glass stair. Check that: one cracked glass stair. The starting bid: $200 (USD). The buy it now price: $2500. Surely no one would take up the offer!

But of course, the house that Steve Jobs built has its zealots: two people actually placed bids, at $250 and $300, for the stair. But for some reason heylookitskibbe ended the auction prematurely.

I guess it’s not too outrageous to assume that someone did buy the damned thing outside of eBay. It’s worth noting though that the seller claims that the 250-lb. glass stair is originally worth $10,000. I don’t know how much a cracked one is worth though.

[via TUAW]

Disappearing Staircase Could Trip You Up

Technabob — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 00:30:29 +0000

Next time you’re climbing a flight of stairs, be sure to watch your step. You never know if they might be pulled out from under you.

The disappearing staircase is the brainchild of industrial designer Aaron Tang. His wall-mounted stair concept uses a series of hinges and pistons to retract flush to the wall, making way when you need a little extra room. Adding to the dramatic design is the fact that the entire staircase unfurls and retracts in a graceful, step-by-step motion.

Hopefully the design includes some sort of failsafe to prevent them from being shut when someone is walking on them. Of course, if you happen to have a mean streak, I guess you’d want that feature disabled.

[via Treehugger via Inventor Spot]

Honda Asimo Does a Face Plant

Technabob — Mon, 11 Dec 2006 14:03:14 +0000

Some guy with a cell phone camera recorded this incident at a recent press conference showing off Honda’s Asimo humanoid robot. If you fast-forward the video clip to about 0:59 seconds, you can witness the pratfall:

Watch in horror as the brave little robot attempts to climb the stairs and instead does his best Chevy Chase impression. The best part of the clip is when the stage crew attempts to conceal the lifeless, limp body of the poor little guy. For a moment there, I had flashbacks to the famous Derek Smalls pod sequence in This is Spinal Tap.

[via Digital World Tokyo]