09-23-2022, 09:06 AM
(09-23-2022, 06:16 AM)danbrotherston Wrote:(09-23-2022, 01:47 AM)ac3r Wrote: Elevators and escalators. There are escalators that will magnetically lock a shopping carts' wheels when it's on it. The Zehrs in Stanley Park Mall has this as do a lot of IKEA stores.
Magnetic?
These are very common where I live now, assuming they are the same thing, they are not a magnetic interface, but a mechanical one. The escalator (not steps, but a ramp) has a grooved surface and the cart wheels are narrow rubber disks, which slot into the grooves and stick with friction. It is pretty cool, albeit kinda annoying because you can't roll the cart, so everyone is stuck moving at the slow speed of the escalator. The teeth at the bottom of the escalator pop the wheels out when you get to the bottom.
It's electronic - the same system they use to disable carts leaving the property. I'd think the locking mechanism is passive and powered entirely from RF, but I'm not actually sure on that.