Fuel the concerts

As Ottawa's Bluesfest finished with a bang, literally (link) I came up with an idea that really doesnt relate to the stage falling down at all. The idea did however correspond the the festivals constant reminder to the crowd that it is one of the "Greenest" outdoor music festivals in the world. Interesting. It was honestly hard to tell. Apart from the cup suckers, lack of garbage on the ground and references to "less pollution emitting generators" the push to promote its greenly-ness fell relatively flat.
So alas my idea. In an effort to reduce strain on the grid, or fossil fuels needed in the hybrid generators, why not power the festival by (partly) using the crowd! Get the people to feel like they are contributing while just doing exactly what they would do anyway during an outdoor festival... (not drinking by the way)... Walking!
For some time a technology has existed that can harness human weight. Yes, simply stepping on the device will generate electricity. Take a look (here). Now imagine if rolls of this pressure absorbing marvel of engineering could be rolled out in strategic locations during a concert. The jumping, the shifting of weight while you fight to see through the 6ft5 tall guy in front of you and yes even the crowd surfing could all be harnessed. Pair that with letting the crowd know they are making a difference and people will jump and stomp for no other reason than to see what happens!
Even still we could take that thought a step further, these pads could actually be associated with some sort of effect, lighting? louder music? to give the crowd feed back for their actions.

Who knows maybe one day concerts could be literally powered by the fans. Neat concept right?

Here is a picture of something to make the article more interesting visually... its a colouring marker.



Jeff Pinard
ID