This video shows an escape system to evacuate people in a hurry from the upper floors of a high-rise building. It actually looks like it could be pretty fun as a carnival ride. The idea is to slide down a fabric chute that slows your descent just enough to keep you from splatting against the ground. What could possibly go wrong?
The first thing everyone thinks of is the wide range of people who would be using it. Would an obese person slide down at the same rate as a skinny person? Or would they tear the fabric? Or get stuck? Would people in a panic tumble down too close together? What of someone had a sharp object attached to them? You know there would be at least one fool who would try it head first. What I see as most likely is that people at the bottom would fall on their butts, or sides, and take too long to get up and move out of the way. There would be a pile of people to land on! -via Digg
Not to mention burns and abrasions from the friction. By the time you slid more than a couple of floors, the rubbing against the chute could create serious heat against skin.
I worry about someone twisting into the wrong position, getting stuck and others piling on top of him.