Tag: Stairs

Because what good is a robotic housekeeper if it can only clean the ground floor, engineer James Bruton challenged himself to build a robot capable of ascending and descending stairs. It accomplishes the task via its three sections, which it can lift and lower individually, making stair-climbing possible.

Inspired by a scene from a classic Tom & Jerry cartoon where Tom gets crushed paper-thin on the stairs by a giant Jerry, artist rugsoda has created an almost identical likeness of Tom in the form of this ‘Flat Cat’ stair-runner rug.

Stairs are the worst, right? Too much exercise. Especially if you are talking a multi-story building with no elevator or escalator. Well, the engineers at Georgia Tech and Emory University have created stairs that will do all the hard work for you one day soon.

Back in the ’80s, Tyco was a big brand when it came to RC toys. Now Tyco is back with the Terra Climber. This is the first RC vehicle I’m aware of that can climb stairs.

You will never be far from your work with this unique desk. It will be very handy if you have a home with more than one story, since it will also give you some stairs while saving space in your home.

Advancements in biotechnology continue to amaze me. We’re rapidly approaching the point where human/cyborg combinations are becoming more and more plausible, as is evidenced by this recent accomplishment by the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago. This past sunday, a man wearing the first “thought-controlled bionic leg” used the limb to help him ascend 103 floors of the skyscraper formerly known as the Sears Tower.

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.

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.

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.

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.