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]

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]