The first escalator in Britain was installed in Harrods department store in Knightsbridge, London, in 1898, two years after it was invented in the US.

1898年，也就是电梯在美国被发明后的两年，在伦敦骑士桥大街上的晗罗斯百货商店就安装了电梯，这也是英国第一部电梯。

For more than 100 years the escalator has traditionally travelled either up or down and in a straight line.

100多年以来，传统电梯一直都是向上或者向下，沿着直线运行的。

But all that is set to change thanks to a revolutionary new design that is being hailed as the future of escalator travel.

但是现在这种局面要改变了，这得感谢一场新的设计革命，电梯传播的前景非常乐观。

The Levytator, named after its inventor Jack² Levy¹, professor of mechanical engineering at City University in London, is the world's first escalator capable of following free-form curves.

列维梯，这种以其发明者——英国伦敦城市大学的杰克·列维教授发明的——命名的电梯，可以随意沿弯道运行。

It is already being nicknamed the "Sushi-lator" because of its curved modules³, which resemble the conveyer belts used to deliver food in trendy Japanese restaurants.

列维梯，还有一个评号，叫"寿司梯因为这种电梯上有弧度的楼梯很像是日本新式寿司餐厅中用来传送食物的传送带。

These curved steps allow it to twist, bend and snake around corners in a continuous loop，all with passengers on board.

当乘客踏上这些带有弧度的阶梯，电梯便可以沿着拐角弯曲地运行起来，从而形成一个连续的循环。

All of which means architects can create escalators in any shape they want, whether as a conveyor belt around a department store, a ride around a theme park or, more simply, placed on top of an existing staircase.

正因为如此，这也就给设计师们提供了很大的想象空间，他们可以设计出更艺术化的电梯外观，可以是百货商场的传输带，也可以像主题公园的骑乘工具，亦或是现有的楼梯样式。

The popularity of the imaginative design is clear. A YouTube video showing how the Levytator works has gone viral with more than 230，000 hits since it was first posted in September.

但显然，这个想象中的设计很深入人心。 YouTube上一个介绍"列维梯"工作原理的视频，从9月份上传，至今已突破23万的点击量。

The inspiration for the free-form escalator's design came to Professor Levy while travelling around the London Underground. "I wondered why the escalators had to be straight," he told The Independent. "Sometimes it' s really convenient to go round a corner."

列维教授设计这种可拐弯的电梯的灵感还是来自于他在伦敦地下商场的漫步。他在接受《独立报》采访时说"我很好奇为什么所有的电梯都是直上直下的，有时候如果能够转个弯的话会方便很多。"

The traditional escalator works by turning the steps upside down and looping them underneath⁴ the staircase to take them back to the start. Half the steps are therefore hidden away and never "in use".

传统手扶电梯的工作原理是依靠楼梯上升后，在终点处回环，再变做楼梯下面继续运行，从而实现楼梯的颠倒，重复循环使用;而这实际上总是有一半的楼梯隐藏起来，处在"无用"的状态。

Furthermore, the "up" and "down" escalators require two separate loops, each costing around E100,000 each.

不仅如此，传统的这一上一下的电梯需要两个单独的环形传动带，造价高达 10万英镑。

The Levytator, on the other hand, has one single loop, making it a cheaper proposition because fewer steps are required.

而列维梯在这方面只需要一个环形传动带，成本低廉而且便于维修。

Professor Levy said: "Traditional escalators developed topsy-turvy, but we're starting with a clean sheet of paper."

列维教授说"传统电梯发展很混乱，但我们现在揭开了新的一页。"

Safety is another factor that is likely to appeal to architects the world over. the Levytator has no gap between the stairs and the walls where people and things have for years become jammed.

安全性是设计师们需要考虑到的另一个重要因素——传统电梯台阶和墙壁之间有缝隙，总会有东西或者是人不小心被卡住，而"利维梯"则不存在这种问题。

Professor Levy said: "Worldwide, there are 10，000 accidents on escalators every year, including several deaths. On two occasions I've seen people piling up at the bottom of an escalator and had to press the emergency stop button."

列维教授说全世界每年大约在电梯上发生一万多起事故，这其中甚至还包含死亡事件。我就曾两次见过有人卡在电梯底，而不得不按紧急停止的按钮。"

His design has already been patented in the UK, Europe. the US and China and Levytators could be cropping up in public buildings and shopping centres by mid-2012.

该电梯的设计已经在英国、欧洲其他地方、美国和中国申请了专利，预计2012年年中我们就可以在公共建筑和商场里见到这种电梯了。