Escalator
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An escalator is a moving staircase which carries people between floors of a building or structure. It consists of a motor-driven chain of individually linked steps on a track which cycle on a pair of tracks which keep the step tread horizontal.
Escalator in a metro station in Warsaw
Escalators at the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Illustration from U.S. Patent#25,076: Revolving Stairs, issued August 9, 1859, to Nathan Ames
Macy's Herald Square store in New York City holds some well-known historic escalators. The model shown here, retrofitted with metal steps in the 1990s, is among the oldest of the store's 40 escalators. Otis "L-type" escalators with distinctive wood treads (not shown) have operated in the store since 1927.
Stairs
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Stairs are a structure designed to bridge a large vertical distance between lower and higher levels by dividing it into smaller vertical distances. This is achieved as a diagonal series of horizontal platforms called steps which enable passage to the other level by stepping from one to another step in turn. Steps are very typically rectangular. Stairs may be straight, round, or may consist of two or more straight pieces connected at angles.
Steps with two anti-slip rubber strips and small nosings
Neo-Baroque stairs with intricate wooden balustrade
Staircase with double bullnose and two volutes. An intermediate landing is part of this U-shaped stair.
Handrail and carved balusters