Stretching April 1 - positive energies

Bisham Azgad publishes today on the website Azgad.com An exclusive interview with an Israeli scientist who is currently returning to Israel and claims that "in some cases, gyms located in small malls may provide a significant portion of the mall's electricity consumption." How did we not think of this before? First trial lectures - immediately after Passover

Editor's assessment, 2/4/10 time 00:00 - indeed the commenters who claimed it was an April 1 prank were right. Thanks to Livsham for the idea and execution. The problem is that I had to rebut accusations about the hoax twice - both for this article and for that article."Extinct marsupial carnivore discovered in Australia"

RG (name withheld in the website system) is an Israeli scientist returning to Israel these days, with original and surprising news in the field of the production of alternative, clean and environmentally friendly energy. After a period of more than ten years in which he stayed in the USA and Europe, and during which he made a long journey that began in the world of basic science, RG arrived in the practical and business realms of applied science. "I set out on my path as a scientist trying to understand the world, but various experiences led me to the insight that it is better to be content with improving living conditions in the world."
RG is a physicist who, about ten years ago, stood on the brink of a global discovery of the highest order. In his post-doctoral research, at the University of Utrecht in the Netherlands, under the guidance of Prof. Martinus Waltman, winner of the Nobel Prize in Physics, young RG managed to plan and carry out an experiment in which the Earth's gravity was canceled in an area of ​​several square meters, for a few seconds. "The accepted concept regarding the force of gravity," says a French physicist, also a Nobel laureate, who currently works at the particle accelerator near Geneva, and prefers not to publish his name, "says that it is carried by particles called 'gravitons.' When two objects exchange gravitons between them, that is, gravitons move between them, we say that there is a force of attraction between them. For example, the apple that fell on Newton's head, which 'exchanged' gravitons with the Earth, therefore there was a force of attraction between them, and therefore the apple fell. The thing is, like all particles in nature, we assume that gravitons also have antiparticles that are identical to them in everything, but differ only in their charge. Every particle in nature has an 'opposite' particle that we call an 'anti-particle'. For example, alongside the electrons with the negative electric charge, there are positrons which are actually anti-electrons with a positive electric charge. The positrons are used, for example, in medical PET scanners.
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Anti-particle, anti-luck
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"It seems that RAG, under Waltman's guidance, was able to produce anti-gravitons, which neutralized for a very short time, and in a limited area, the attraction of the Earth. Unfortunately for them, two Japanese scientists published a similar result only two weeks before Waltman and RG were about to publish their findings. Later it became clear that the experiment of the Japanese was wrong in several points, but at the time the disappointed Weltman and RG avoided publishing their findings. In retrospect, it was an almost tragic error, as there are quite a few who believe that this was a work that could have won them a Nobel (for Waltman it might have been a second Nobel Prize)."
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RG does not deny: "It seems that avoiding the publication of our result regarding the cancellation of gravity was indeed a mistake. But I'm not sure it's too much to regret. The fact that in basic science you can do original and excellent work, and lose fame just because someone published a similar result two weeks before you, led me to a change of perception that, in my opinion, changed my life for the better. To put it in a vigorous shorthand, one can use the well-known sentence of Thomas Edison, the most admired American inventor, who said 'If it is impossible to apply it and sell it - I don't want to invent it'.
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Dozens of patents, millions of dollars
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Since then dozens of patents have been registered in RG's name, in collaboration with his employers who have changed over the years. Advanced materials for the space and aeronautics industry, tiny sensors capable of operating in harsh conditions of heat, humidity and dryness, a method for heating snowsuits, and a method for rapid analysis of medical data on the condition of the immune system. "When you are involved in applied science," says RG, "no one asks you if you focus on your area of ​​expertise. You have an idea, you come to the lab, try it, and if it works, no one cares if it's the first time in your life that you've tried something in this field."
This is how, more or less, the idea that he is bringing to Israel these days came to RG's mind. "I thought of original ways to produce alternative, environmentally friendly energy. My thoughts wandered to Edison, and then I remembered a well-known story, about some scientists and students who came to visit Edison at his home. The gate in the courtyard of the house was 'hard', and they pushed it with force, entered the courtyard, went up the stairs to the house and rang the bell. Edison greeted them with a nice hospitality, as usual. One of the young students could not contain his curiosity, and he asked, fearing something, 'Sir, you are known as a great inventor, but the gate to your house creaks and requires the use of great force to enter. Why don't you find a way to fix it?' Addison laughed, and led his guests into the yard. There, behind the gate, he showed them a system that converts the energy of pushing the gate into electricity. A simple dynamo, powered by a crankshaft and some axles and levers. Thus, every guest who came to light Edison contributed something to the production of the electricity required to light the house.
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How did we not think of this before?
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"This story led to a certain enlightenment. What was good for Edison, can be good for us. Hundreds of thousands of people in Israel spend many hours in gyms, operating devices to strengthen the muscles, which require moving various bars, or turning the wheels of exercise bikes that don't go anywhere. Why then don't we install power generation systems alongside these facilities? Every gymnast will produce a good amount of electricity in this way."
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A careful calculation led RG to the conclusion that in some cases, gyms located in small shopping malls may supply a significant part of the mall's electricity consumption.
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First trial run - right after Passover
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From here, the road to developing systems adapted to the various fitness facilities, which make it possible to generate electricity from the energy expended by the gymnasts, is short. Patents were registered, a business model was designed, negotiations with several chains of gyms were crowned with success in recent days, and according to the plan, the first systems will be installed, as part of a "trial run" in about ten gyms in Tel Aviv, Rehovot and Sharon.
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RG: During the years I lived and worked abroad, I knew that what I was doing there, it would be difficult for me to do in Israel. Therefore, I had no choice, and despite missing my family and Israeli culture, I moved between different employers in Europe and the US. But now, when it comes to a field like gyms, where Israel is considered a powerhouse, and especially when this time I am also involved in the financial and administrative side of the project, it is time to return home with what can definitely be called 'positive energies.'"