[Music plays and various images of people appear on screen]
[Image changes to show various images of people swinging on the Infinity Swing]
[Image changes to show people looking on as people are swinging on the Infinity Swing]
[Image changes to show a various children wearing headphones and swinging on the Infinity Swing]
[Image changes to show an older couple wearing headphones and swinging on the Infinity Swing]
[Image changes to show young children]
[Image changes as the camera moves to a slow shot of a woman wearing headphones and swinging on the Infinity Swing]
[Image changes to show a young woman wearing headphones and laughing]
[Image changes to show a man watching people swinging on the Infinity Swing]
[Image changes to show a ferry on Sydney Harbour, with the Opera House in the background]
[Image changes to show signs with text: Circular Quay; Customs House]
[Image changes to show people swinging on swings]
[Image changes to show two men recording people swinging on the Infinity Swing]
[Image changes to show people swinging on the Infinity Swing]
[Image changes to show the letters of the word Infinity as they light up and flash]
[Image changes to show people wearing headphones and swinging on the Infinity Swing]
[CSIRO logo appears on screen with text: INFINITY, The Pursuit of Forever. Federation Square, Melbourne, 16th – 21st November. Ride the Infinity Swing. csiro.au/infinity]
Last week 4000 swingers down at Circular Quay generated a total of 340 Watt Hours of electricity used to power lights and music on the eight-seater kinetic energy swing, developed by CSIRO.
Victorians will have a chance to surpass that total when the Infinity Swing heads to Fed Square from Monday 16th November – Saturday 21st November.
Glenn Platt energy research director with CSIRO said that it was a makeable target for the Victorians.
“It sounds like a lot of energy, but 340 Watt Hours is only enough to power a typical split system air conditioner for about five minutes," Dr Platt said.
“The fact that it took 4000 people swinging over a five-day period to generate that much electricity tells us that energy isn’t easy to come by.”
Famous for coffee, Neighbours and blokes with beards, Melbourne was recently named the world’s most liveable city for the fifth year running.
It has been scientifically proven, however, that taking out the CSIRO Energy Challenge would be the city’s greatest achievement to date.
The Infinity Swing was inspired by years of CSIRO research into energy harvesting, which has included collecting energy from soldiers marching and leaves blowing in trees.
The swing’s aim is to start a conversation across Australia about energy and some of the challenges we have in maintaining its affordable supply, while protecting the planet.
The Guinness World Record for a marathon on a swing is 32 hours, set by New Zealander Aimee Pivott in Auckland two years ago.
Although the combined swinging time of 226 hours 47 minutes achieved on the Infinity Swing last week isn’t eligible to enter the record books, it nevertheless shows how much Sydney people love to swing.
The Infinity Swing is in Fed Square at the following times:
- Monday 16th Nov 2pm – 10pm
- Tuesday 17th November 7.30am – 10pm
- Wednesday 18th November 7.30am – 10pm
- Thursday 19th November 7.30am – 10pm
- Friday 20th November 7.30am – 10pm
- Saturday 21st November 9am – 10pm
Other things you could do with 340 Watt Hours of energy:
- Cook pasta for 14 minutes in a 1500 Watt microwave
- Run your one-horsepower pool cleaner for about 20 minutes
- Cook 20 slices of toast to golden brown on a two-burner toaster
- Finish your damp washing off in the clothes dryer for about three minutes
- Run a 40 Watt ceiling fan for eight and a half hours.
- Charge 85 iPhones for an hour.
- Run a hair dryer on high heat for about 14 minutes.
