Orange Dance Charge revealed

[chris]

Orange has announced the launch of a mobile phone charger prototype that is powered by dance energy.

The company says 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 company, GotWind, who are also responsible for this year’s Orange ReCharge Pod, Orange says it "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".

The Dance Charge prototype that will be shown off at Gastonbury weighs in at 180 grams and measures 4.25-inches by 2.5-inches.

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.