"Oren" wrote in message
On Tue, 13 Sep 2011 14:00:37 -0400, "Robert Green"

stuff snipped

I assume this is going to be costly. However my friend assures me that
this
has already been a very costly spill for him (he's taken off work and
flown
out to take care of his dad while he recovers - and he feels kind of
guilty
for getting the stair lift to begin with).

I know that the leading cause of accidental death in the home environment
is
from stairway falls. If a $10K device saves a life (especially mine!)
than
I might be willing to pay that.

Say two cats are chasing each other up/down the steps; how would you
prevent the "airbags" from deploying? (thinking out loud)...

No cats involved but I'm thinking weight sensors on the upper steps could
determine whether a human or a pet were traversing the stairs. Also, "beam"
sensors at say 3' high would have to be interrupted in order for the system
to deploy. The sensor part doesn't bother me as much as the "what to do to
interrupt a falling human being without making things worse" part. From the
recent seat belt discussion, it's clear that not all safety features are as
safe as they could be.

--
Bobby G.