Stair Lift Design – 10 New Stair Lift Advances

Stair Lift Advances:

1. Most curved stair lift manufacturers are making their models tighter the wall thereby saving space on the staircase.

2. Flip up rails at the bottom of the stairway are becoming more popular.  This option allows for the stair lift rail to not be an obstruction at the bottom of the stairs for people flow in the home.

3. At the top of the stairs, many curved stair lift models are offering an extension beyond the top of the stairs to permit safer dismount by the stair lift user.

4. Continuous charge along any part of the stairlift rail.  This feature does not require the chair of the stair lift to have to return to either the top or bottom of the stair lift rail.

5. Weight capacities are increasing on some stair lift models.

6. Seat height variance is being offered by many stair lift models to accommodate different heights of the lift user.

7. More and more stair lift manufacturers are offering a softer stop and start stair lift.  This feature assists clients with lower back problems.

8. Stair lift aesthetics – more choices in color of upholstery and rails.  Some stair lift manufacturers are offering custom rail colors to match specific customer needs.

9. Camera systems to measure curved staircases to assure a custom fit.  Sterling, Bruno and Stannah stair lift have led the way to offer their dealers a camera system to measure each staircase.  This trend to use a computer and camera system has virtually eliminated the concern for a custom curved stair lift fit.

10. Standardization of the stair lift rail profile design has generally speaking allowed for more recycling of straight stair lifts.  This fact is due to the ease of matching rail profiles from different stair lift rail sources.   Source recycled stair lifts

Top 7 Most Unique Stairway Designs in the World

Searching the world for unique stairways produced the list below. So many truly amazing staircases were found with the top 7 stairway applications selected due to their uniqueness. Some were selected because of their massive scope. Others were chosen due to a totally unique design. Some are old, some are new.

Here is a list of 7 innovative stairway designs that could all be part of changing the lifestyles of the wheelchair user. Some of these are designed by architects, some homemade, but these are all remarkable stairway designs.

An interesting point in all these staircase designs is that none of them can accommodate a physically challenged person. In fact, most of these designs will not accommodate a curved stair lift or other type of access lift to assist those in need of assistance in climbing the stairs.

1. An alternating tread stair climbing the steep slope of a pinnacle in National Monument, California

2.. The longest stairway is listed by Guinness Book of Records as the service stairway for the Niesenbahn funicular railway near Spiez, Switzerland, with 11,674 steps and a height of 1669 m (5476 ft).

4. Angkor Wat in Cambodia.

5. The Potemkin Stairs (1834–41) in Odessa, Ukraine.

6. Outdoor stairway on the Alameda Ridge in Portland, Oregon, United States.

7. Endless stairway at KPMG, Munich, Germany. Some stair lift manufacturers are trying to accommodate complicated spiral staircase design applications. However, there are significant limitations in the length of a stair lift.  The longest possible stair lift model will extend to a bit more than 100 feet in length which will not meet the needs of the stairway designs listed above.