If there is a choice between taking a flight of stairs or a escalator,most people will go for the the easy option. But what if the stairs were more fun?
An experiment in Sweden found that by converting stairs into a floor piano - like that used by Tom Hanks in BIG - increased the number of people using them by 66 percent.
A team spent an evening installing pressure sensors on a flight of stairs at the Odenplan subway in Stockholm, and covered them to look like a giant piano. The sensors were then connected to speakers which played musical notes as people moved up and down.
Instantly more people opted to walk up the stairs rather than stand on the escalator… but commuters say they have heard one too many heavy-footed renditions of Chopsticks.
[ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2lXh2n0aPyw ]
The project is part of thefuntheory.com scheme by Volkswagen which shows various ways they have attempted to change their behaviour for the better.
Another stunt saw them install sensors and speakers in a park bin so that it made a cartoon falling and bang sound whenever it was used.
[ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4wOe0aqYguY ]
LINKS
thefuntheory.com
