November 22, 2008
   
  Welcome to the Piezoelectric Club (But You Gotta Jump)
Posted by Praveen Suthrum | July 15, 2008

Not just the hip girl and geek boy, even N=1 and R=G can now lip-lock on the dance floor. Welcome to Surya, the world's first ecological nightclub. Not that it looks earthy, but the dance floor has "magic" crystals that generate electricity when you dance. What's more, take the tube to King's Cross in London where the club is housed and you'll even get in free!

The concept is called piezoelectricity, or the characteristic of certain crystals and ceramics to generate electric potential when subjected to physical stress. The reverse is also true. Electrical impulses can change mechanical behaviors of a crystal such as quartz or Rochelle salt. The more you jump, the more current the dance floor generates and the more eco-hip the club gets. Get it? For an example closer to your pants, think of your cell phone. You are already enjoying the benefits of reverse piezoelectricity (electrical impulse triggers mechanical distortion) when it buzzes before a call.

Back to Club Surya (means the sun in Sanskrit), a crazily vibrating crystal dance floor has the capability to provide 60% of the juice the club needs. The club also has waterless urinals, chandeliers made of pens, solar powered TVs, battery operated taps, furniture made from recycled material, and overpriced drinks. Andrew Charalambous, who goes by the name Dr. Earth, spent a million pounds to revamp this club.

So the next time you look at long lines outside a club in London, know that they just might be waiting to jump N=1 at a time to save our earth.

 
 


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