How does an escalator move people up and down?
Stairs That Walk
How does an escalator move people up and down?
You step onto a metal staircase, and it carries you upward like magic — no climbing, no effort, just a smooth ride to the next floor. But escalators aren't magic at all. They're one of the cleverest machines hiding in plain sight.
An escalator is really a loop — like a bicycle chain, but giant. The steps you see going up are only half the story. Underneath the floor, those same steps travel back down in a hidden return journey, flipping over and coming around again.
