The weekly newsletter for Fed2 by ibgames

EARTHDATE: July 20, 2008

Official News page 8


REAL LIFE NEWS: POWER-DANCING

by Hazed

Whether it's my fault or not that I'm averse to exercise, one thing I don't find too unpleasant is dancing. Now there's an additional reason to head down to the local club and boogie the night away, one that might help to save the planet - your dancing could provide power.

The concept behind Dancefloor Power is simple. There's a special dancefloor that can transform your dancing into power that can be used to power the DJ's decks, the flashing lights, even the rotating mirror ball. It's based on the principle of piezoelectricity, which is the ability of certain materials to generate an electrical potential when they are put under pressure. There are rows of springs hidden underneath the dancefloor, and as you strut your funky stuff, the floor rises and sinks to squash small crystal blocks that generate electricity. The current is then fed into batteries for use elsewhere.

One of the inventors of the Dancefloor Power system, Andrew Charalambous, said: "loads of clubbers dancing vigorously" have the potential to "provide 60% of the club's energy needs".

In the UK, the system has been installed in a new club in London called Surya, which has may other eco-measures, such as drinks served in polycarbon cups, urinals that flush with air, and free entry for anyone who travels to the venue by foot, cycle or public transport.

If the Dancefloor Power system takes off, it could have many applications: anywhere that a lot of people walk across briskly, such as a station forecourt for example, could also generate power from moving feet.


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