Stairway Assistance with AscendAID

As we know, stairs are a barrier in virtually every home. Many times they’re unavoidable because bedrooms, bathrooms, and laundry rooms are at the top or bottom of them. Ways to make them accessible and easier to use depends on a person’s disability and the design of the stairways themselves. Modifications such as double handrails and stair lifts (glides) can be solutions. Recent industrial design graduate Gareth Webb has proposed another solution with his AscendAID concept. Something he says is a hybrid of a walker and stair lift.

AscendAID would not be for those who still have severe difficulty with stairs but more for those who could use added stability. Stability is maintained by holding onto a cushioned bar in front of the user. This bar is connected to a track rail mounted to the wall. Stairways that change direction would not be a problem since the track can be customized to curve. Both the bar and track would be mounted at a typical handrail height.

The bar moves along the track through a free wheeled system. So the user would move the bar themselves and dictate the speed. On the bar are brake handles to keep it in place while going up or down each step.

This concept has a few advantages over a typical stair lift. One being cost. Stair lifts costs can vary from couple thousand dollars to near ten thousand dollars. AscendAID is not motorized and has fewer parts so the cost would be much lower. The other advantage is space usage. Stair lifts can take up space not only with their track, but also the chair itself. Even when folded up. AscendAID takes up much less real estate.

Now there are a few features I would add to make AscendAID more accessible and safer. A way to prevent the wheels from moving too fast beyond just the brakes would be good. Especially when going down the stairs. Even better would be a motorized version that kept the bar moving at a slow and steady pace.  I would also add a locking hinge at the base of the bar so it can be moved out of the way when not in use. Adding to the space saving feature. Still I really like this concept idea. To see more of Gareth Webb’s work, visit his portfolio and resume here.