Power-generating dance floor hits UK club

Believe it or not, this actually isn't the first power-generating dance floor to harness some of the pent up energy of club-goers, but it is apparently the first one to hit the UK, and hopefully a sign of more to come. As you can see above, the dance floor makes use of a piezoelectric system that produces electricity as the dancers jump up and down, which charges some batteries that are used to power parts of the club. While that's certainly a practical application for the technology, we're guessing it's only a matter of time before some enterprising club owner combines one of these with an LED dance floor to create a dance floor that powers itself, and thumbs its nose at other do-gooder clubs.

Read - Dancefloor generates electricity at London's first eco-disco!
Read - London Eco-Club to Get Its Power From Dancers on the Dancefloor

[digitallysick @ Jul 17th 2008 4:02PM]

A good example of piezoelectric are those barbeque grill starters. They have a button and wire, you can shock people with them =)

[Funke, Tobias Dr. @ Jul 17th 2008 4:20PM]

Haha... those are also equally devious as potato cannon triggers.

[Mr.Tech @ Jul 17th 2008 5:08PM]

Get a stadium full of monkies and a hugeee floor made out of power-generated dance floor and we might just have enough power for an episode of South Park.

[Matthew Hilario @ Jul 17th 2008 6:25PM]

a gigantic dance dance revolution machine?

[%u258C @ Jul 17th 2008 10:44PM]

And then set the stadium on fire to power a giant steam power generator!! when we run out of monkies and poo, we can toss in some peta members

[Matt @ Jul 18th 2008 12:32AM]

That would be sweet a dance dance revolution with i person doing each arrow.

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IN THE BUTT

[Temple @ Jul 18th 2008 2:58AM]

The piezo electric floor is already being used in Japan's train stations below the ticket gates (which has millions of passengers walking atop them)

http://www.engadget.com/2006/08/01/japan-railway-harvests-passenger-energy-for-fun-and-profit/

[Taylor @ Jul 17th 2008 4:09PM]

I am more entertained by the ad on overactive bladder medication to the right of the article for me. Finally i can reduce bladder leaks and accidents for a full 24 hours!
-Taylor

[Technex @ Jul 17th 2008 4:45PM]

You still have ads?

[phanbouy @ Jul 17th 2008 4:53PM]

i wonder if it'll also help with your megalomania?

[%u258C @ Jul 17th 2008 10:45PM]

melanoma?

[2oonhed @ Jul 18th 2008 1:16PM]

Fine for 24 hours. But what about the rest of the week?
And what will I do about that, "Not So Fresh" feeling?

[xian06 @ Jul 17th 2008 4:10PM]

i have 1 questuion tho... now does everyone have jump at the same time cuz all the weight would just make it say bottomed out and the only other way is to use them like tile but then u might trip from tile to tile.....hahaha ohh welll

[Technex @ Jul 17th 2008 4:47PM]

English, I suggest you learn it.

[ddub @ Jul 17th 2008 5:08PM]

I somehow understood that. I'm guessing the floor is flexible, not like one solid piece of granite. Even wood planks would probably work.

[porfitron @ Jul 17th 2008 4:11PM]

As a professional dancer, does this mean I need to worry about being enslaved to power cities in the not-so-distant future?

[Ali @ Jul 17th 2008 4:18PM]

As a professional dancer, i would have thought you are probably quite agile, and light on your feet, therefore not very good for generating power... more likely to be enslaved are people who dance like they're wearing concrete shoes whilst having a seizure... like, for instance, me.

[bo sneb @ Jul 17th 2008 8:39PM]

sounds like you're doing the humpty dance.

in mother russia, floor dances you!

[Matt @ Jul 18th 2008 12:26AM]

"In mother Russia, floor dances you!"

That's the funniest thing I've heard all day

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IN THE BUTT

[Joseph @ Jul 17th 2008 4:11PM]

I do not know how happy the club goers will be when they see how much harder it is to dance on a dance floor that dampens the impact of foot to floor. I would imagine that it would take much of the spring out of their steps, sort of like dancing on sand. I guess it all depends on how much electricity they expect to generate.

[p3ngwin @ Jul 17th 2008 4:58PM]

you won't notice the damping effect you describe.

the crystal only needs a tiny amount of pressure to generate a current. the distance the floor will move in depth will be unlikely to be more than 2 millimeters.

so none is really going to notice.

[Ignatius @ Jul 17th 2008 4:12PM]

So, I guess if you don't want to party in the dark, you gotta party hard. Seems like it's always the other way around...

[Samo @ Jul 17th 2008 4:12PM]

That's an intelligent idea! I mean, ure it won't generate enough 'leccy for a city, but it should be good the those LEDs, or something?

How viable would it be to install this in say a few busy streets? Oxford Street (London) coems into mind, and surely it'll make a profit for the borough in the long run, like double glazing does for houses?

Yes, I have thought about maintainence costs, but still?

[phanbouy @ Jul 17th 2008 4:55PM]

glad to see english isn't a problem only for americans

[oppositelock @ Jul 17th 2008 5:50PM]

There is no such thing as free energy, in the case of the dance floor it is taking energy out of people's footsteps and charging batteries with it. If it is too small of a difference for someone to notice, then it isn't enough energy to do anything practical with.

In the case of putting it in streets, it is taking kinetic energy out of the cars that drive over it, so instead of producing power in a relatively efficient power plant, they'd be stealing it from inefficient cars.

Asinine in my opinion.

[Anand D @ Jul 17th 2008 4:17PM]

This is old news. I heard about this a long time ago.

[Ivan Ivanovich @ Jul 18th 2008 8:13AM]

Likewise
Was in the English paper The Mirror last week some time. Thursday I think
Kick-ass idea, though. I love piezoelectricity

[phanbouy @ Jul 17th 2008 4:41PM]

in a galaxy far, far away?

here's a one-way ticket back, by the way

[Anand D @ Jul 17th 2008 5:13PM]

Apparently you were far far away when CNET posted this news last year

[whowhatme @ Jul 17th 2008 4:17PM]

i, for one, think this is genius

[CaptSaltyJack @ Jul 17th 2008 4:22PM]

People: "Where are the music and lights?"
Owner: "It's powered by your dancing! Dance!"
People: "But there's no music to dance to!"
Owner: "I knew there would be a catch to this...damn!"

[phanbouy @ Jul 17th 2008 4:38PM]

well played, sir

[Frankenstein Black @ Jul 17th 2008 4:22PM]

Club Owner: Maan, these electric bills are killing me. Got a good track?
DJ: Let’s just spam “Jump Around” (House of Pain) all night!
Club Owner: Sweeeet! Just mix, blend, and scratch it so they can’t tell.
DJ: Done deal!

[purplegreendave @ Jul 17th 2008 4:24PM]

Smooth Criminal anyone?

[fred @ Jul 17th 2008 4:49PM]

Electric Slide?

[spil @ Jul 17th 2008 4:31PM]

They need this technology on beds in motels.

[striggity @ Jul 17th 2008 4:32PM]

I see what you did there... lol

[phanbouy @ Jul 17th 2008 4:39PM]

it'll power the vibrating beds; thereby creating a rift in the spacetime continuum

[iHoppipolla @ Jul 18th 2008 7:53AM]

Well done.

[iHoppipolla @ Jul 18th 2008 7:54AM]

Though that would be a tough thing to market...

"Hump on your bed enough and you will receive an energy discount?"

How exactly would one word that?

[James @ Jul 17th 2008 4:33PM]

I thought of harnessing the electricity generated by the fat people in gyms and health clubs on stationary bicycles, treadmills, elliptical machines to power the gym.

[andres @ Jul 17th 2008 4:45PM]

why not harness the energy of fit people in gyms. pretty sure they would produce more power

[spil @ Jul 17th 2008 5:37PM]

They already did that in Japan I think. I read about it on engadget, but I don't feel like finding you a link.

[James @ Jul 18th 2008 3:59AM]

Fat, skinny, just harness the damn energy. It's all going to waste for all the miles on the treadmill, bicycle, rowing machine, elliptical, etc.

[_nrdstkovr_ @ Jul 17th 2008 4:49PM]

Finally a way to unleash the power of earths most dangerous beings ...

... White people who think they have rhythm

[chris26 @ Jul 17th 2008 5:53PM]

they are stealing your energy to dance

[phanbouy @ Jul 17th 2008 6:22PM]

im in ur dance flo0rz, steelin ur energeez

[BigD145 @ Jul 17th 2008 4:53PM]

This would have worked well in the Netherlands where Jumpstyle is popular.

[Alex @ Jul 17th 2008 4:54PM]

they should put this on a treadmill

[phanbouy @ Jul 17th 2008 4:56PM]

they should put Alex on a treadmill