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Orange today announced the launch of a mobile phone charger prototype that is powered by dance energy. The Orange Dance Charge is the result of months of research into alternate, sustainable energy sources to power mobile phones during summer music festivals.
Working with renewable energy specialists, GotWind, who were also responsible for last year’s Orange Wind Charge and this year’s Orange ReCharge Pod, Orange commissioned the research into a kinetic energy portable phone charger that would harness the energy created by festival revellers dancing to their favourite bands to ensure a clean and renewable energy source.
Whilst the research of the Orange and GotWind team is still in its infancy and continues to be developed. Orange has built fully functioning prototype models of the Dance Charge that will be tested at this year’s Glastonbury Festival, taking place at Worthy Farm in Pilton, Somerset from 27-29 June.
The Dance Charge prototype weighs in at only 180grams and measures 4¼” x 2½”, approximately the same size as a pack of cards and the same weight as a mobile phone. The Dance Charge unit comes encased in an elasticated, black, neoprene strap with Velcro attachments which is attached over the wearer’s bicep in a similar fashion to a runner’s arm-mounted mp3 player.
As the user moves their arms along to the music – a specially designed system of weights and magnets, similar to that found in kinetic energy watches, creates an electrical current which provides a top-up of charge to a storage battery. So whilst festival goers are out dancing to their favourite bands, the charger stores dance generated power in the reservoir battery, ready for when they return to their tent each night to recharge their phone.
Orange also has plans to showcase The Dance Charge with an interactive Dance Charging Man who will help recharge mobile phones during the festival through the power of dance! The Dance Charging Man will only require one form of payment…a dance with the person who needs their phone re-charged!
Hattie Magee, Head of Partnerships at Orange UK, said “As Official Communications Partner of Glastonbury Festival, it is important that we help keep festival goers connected with their mates at both the festival and at home. We wanted to create a fun, engaging and interactive product which would encourage users to have a laugh while charging their mobile phone and at the same time test out a new energy efficient charging prototype.”
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