Frank Swain is a science writer and blogger. He is based in the UK.
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Keep up to date with RSSLooking every bit like the mythical Silver Power Ranger, the guy in this video is bestowed with similarly impressive powers - the ability to shoot lightning from his hands!
So what's really happening here? The lightning is actually being generated by the huge Tesla coil in the background, and flowing through the figure into a ground point near the camera. The chain mail suit protects the guy as the electricity flows around him rather than through him.
The video was shot in Austin, Texas, as part of a documentary for German television. Producer Johannes Wiebus says:
A guy in a chain mail Faraday suite is getting hit with 500.000 volts, generated by a home made Tesla Coil. Lightning sparks are shooting out of his hands, right over our camera's lens. We had mounted the camera in its own Faraday cage to protect it.
The video was made with Arc Attack, a Texan band that uses singing Tesla coils.
Comments
So- A Faraday cage in chainmail form? That works even if there's direct physical contact with the cage?
Posted by: Jonesy | February 10, 2010 12:47 PM
I think so. The metal cage is more conductive than the body so the electricity flows over rather than through. You can see that his fingertips are protected by foil caps, which could be a heat issue, or possibly that the current spills out of the mail at that point. I'm open to suggestions.
Posted by: Frank the SciencePunk | February 10, 2010 12:53 PM
Just don't forward the chainmail - it'll hog the Texan bandwidth
Posted by: IanW | February 11, 2010 12:13 PM
How strong really is a chain mail Faraday suite?
Why the guy didn't got electrified?
Posted by: Jerjoshy | February 11, 2010 3:27 PM
Volts of electricity? That's a bit like saying Newtons of static force...
Posted by: Richard | February 25, 2010 8:55 AM