This combo photo shows an emergency escape slide along the staircase in a high-rise residential building in Shanghai. (Photo/Shanghai Morning Post)
(ECNS) -- An emergency escape slide along the staircase in a high-rise residential building in Shanghai has attracted much attention, the Shanghai Morning Post reported on Friday.
Zhou Miaorong, the inventor of the device and a resident in his 70s, said that the designed speed for passing each story of a building is three to five seconds. That means it takes as little as 90 seconds to ride the slide from the top of a 30-story building to the ground.
Zhou's slide has been carefully thought out and designed.
In case of fire, the parts of the slide automatically assemble as soon as the device is switched on. At the same time, emergency lighting and shower systems will be also available, Zhou said.
About 90 percent of people will choose staircases to escape during emergencies, but residents of high-rise buildings are more likely to suffer from stampedes, suffocation, falling down, and exhaustion, Zhou said, adding that his slide can help solve these problems.
Zhou has secured both national and international patents for his invention, and many countries, including the United States, Japan, Brazil, Russia, Singapore and the United Arab Emirates have expressed interest, according to the report.
However, mass production in China will be impossible until the device passes assessments by quality watchdogs, Zhou said.
