Israeli engineer Michel David is advancing plans to develop a spiral escalator, according to a recent report in the British publication The Engineer. David's design links two spirals which look like a helix, which saves space. He applied for an international patent in 2008 to apply monorail technology to current escalator technology, which is a major part of the innovation.

The founder and chief technology officer of the Berlin-based Helixator company told The Engineer that he is fine tuning the escalator to avoid making people dizzy. He is also looking for investors so he can develop an industry-standard prototype to take to manufacturers.

