8 . Scream if you want to charge your phone.
Thanks to the wonders of science, riders on Thorpe Park’s new attraction, a roller coaster called The Walking Dead, can now power their smart phones by screaming loudly. That’s because there are devices on it that “harvest kinetic energy (动能)”. The park conducted research which shows that people’s biggest fear is their phones running out of battery, so the device should prove popular.
All of the Walking Dead’s carriages have been fitted with the harvesting devices, which not only harvest the energy of screams, but that from g-force and vibrations (振动) of the ride, too. It is stored in a power management unit. The unit is then removed from the carriages by staff and deposited into an on-site mobile charging point where ride goers will charge their devices. The 188mmx 188mm x 67mm energy harvester is jet black, blending into its dark and mysterious surroundings on the roller coaster themed around the global TV shows.
Thorpe Park said: “If thrill-seekers are brave enough to open their eyes, they will see a set of LED lights in blood red powering up as guests’ screams become louder... throughout the 90-second experience.”
Designed and installed by researchers at Queen Mary University London and the engineering team at Thorpe Park Resort, the technology took three months to be carried out, from design to installation. It will be available at the theme park for an initial trial period.
Thorpe Park Resort’s John Burton, who came up with the ride concept, said, “The Walking Dead’s ride is 15 out of 10 on the scare factor scale, so it makes sense to be able to combine and use the power of our visitors’ screams and the ride’s vibrations to help solve a problem each and every one of us faces — losing the charge on our mobiles when we’re on a day out.”
Dr Joe Briscoe, School of Engineering and Materials Science at Queen Mary University of London, said, “This is an exciting concept that will undoubtedly be used more frequently in the future. The system uses a mini energy harvester to capture the kinetic energy, transferring it to a separate electrical circuit and storage unit, which is enough to charge a mobile phone.”
1. Where could ride goers easily get their phones charged?A.At the carriage. | B.At the charging point. |
C.At the LED light. | D.At the energy harvester. |
A.Because a mini energy harvester is applied. |
B.Because The Walking Dead is most frightening. |
C.Because the park has quite a number of scary rides. |
D.Because almost everyone is faced with power failure. |
A.Favorable. | B.Doubtful. | C.Neutral. | D.Disapproving. |
A.A new battery for powering your phone is invented. |
B.The traditional way of charging your phone is on the way out. |
C.Visitors’ scream in Thorpe Park can be used to charge the phone. |
D.The most effective way of charging your phone has been found in Thorpe Park. |
A.in | B.on | C.up | D.over |