Eindhoven-based designer Rombout Frieling has created a vertical walking system that enables less physically able people to manually lift themselves between floors in a building.
The system, called Vertiwalk, was designed as an entirely human-powered alternative to stairlifts to allow people with disabilities to reach different floors, and exercise simultaneously.
The user has to perform a vertical rowing motion. By balancing themselves between a footplate and a seat, they can lightly shift their weight back and forth to help move themselves up to different floors.

VertiWalk works by the user performing a squat-like movement, encouraging movement in the users' hips and knees to keep them flexible, but without the strain that comes from walking up stairs. As it is not reliant on external power sources, the VertiWalk system works in places without access to electricity, or that have unreliable power resources. It is also space-efficient, only requiring an area of 80 by 80 centimetres to be installed.

As cities grow upwards and living spaces become increasingly vertical, the designer wanted to develop a system that would allow people to keep movement in their lives, without them having to over-exert themselves.
Frieling believes that it is important for people to live independently at home for as long as possible, without having to rely on simply pushing a button to move up and down the stairs.
Frieling carried out various trials with potential users who cannot climb the ...