| 摘要 |
A conveyor specialized to convey people, and more particularly a conveyor which may serve as a conventional staircase, comprises treads that can individually raise and lower by the amount of the tread rise. To ascend, a user stands on the lowest level, and the tread lifts to match the height of the next tread. The user steps forward to the next tread. That tread likewise lifts to match the height of the next tread, and so on. In this way the user is able to ascend the height of the staircase without having to step up. A corresponding process permits descending the height of the staircase without having to step down. The conveyor can work even if the staircase winds or curves or goes around corners. Optionally a platform is caused to move laterally from each step to the next, so that the user need not even step forward during the process.
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