CMBE | The University of Sheffield: Props, set design and special effects are used widely in theatre productions and these often rely on power from lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries. Being subjected to constant wear and tear means repairs or alterations to these items may need to be done, in-house, by technical staff. As a result these modified items may no longer meet the same design, build, or safety standards as consumer-grade products which could increase the likelihood of failure.
This is awesome! We are so intertwined with technology nowadays, we would be absolutely cooked without it! One of the biggest reasons that we can have all this technology is because of how advanced batteries have become! I honestly take this for granted, like we are all carrying around a bunch of bombs. It is not impossible for a lithium ion battery to explode when it is overheated. It is funny because we would not be able to survive without them. I did not even know that you could repair batteries, I kind of was under the impression that once they are compromised they are garbage. I know that batteries are expensive, so it is cool that you don't have to waste the whole thing! It is also really cool to hear that they are trying to make this information available to the general public, so it is not gate kept from anyone!
ReplyDeleteThis will be crucial to the whole industry if the battery upgrade truly works well. I remember doing lighting load-ins, dealing with power and data. The stagepins are really hard to connect to each other, and I always try super hard to make sure that the fixtures actually get the power. The power part of electricians’ work is one of the most important things, and they deal with power every day. The new research result can really assist the theater technicians in their safe working process and space. I always know that batteries are resources that will eventually be used up and need people to constantly replace them. This process should be safe for people to handle, and better batteries ensure better working conditions. It’s also super cool to learn that you don’t have to waste a lot of materials to make batteries under this new research finding, which is really important and beneficial to the whole world, too. I’d love to learn more about this new research finding and how they got there.
ReplyDeleteI really like the way this article points out the blind spots we tend to have when it comes to lithium ion batteries and the lack of safety planning around them. The article talks about how because we use lithium ion batteries so often in our everyday lives it's very easy to forget that they are a piece of technology that can fail and therefore need to have safety plans associated with them. I think especially when it comes to batteries that are being used on an article that is worn by an actor or technician it is especially important to have a plan in place in case they were to fail. Lithium-ion batteries do have the associated risk of catching on fire when they fail and if that were to happen when worn it would be extremely physically damaging. It's kind of crazy to think that this isn't a larger conversation.
ReplyDeleteOne of the things we frequently discuss when talking about theatrical equipment in class is how most things that we use are either borrowed from another industry and are probably being used incorrectly, or are not particularly well-engineered but don’t get upgraded due to there not being a sufficient market in theatre. So it’s super cool to see that this is even a subject of research. It is also particularly relevant to CMU at the moment since I’m pretty sure(?) that the power for the Company practicals is through batteries located on their underside. It’s also an interesting point about batteries used for mic packs and lighting integrated with costumes, which would be very problematic if they were to suffer issues. However, I’m not actually sure how impactful this research will be on its own. It seems like it would be most useful if integrated with an existing theatre/entertainment standard similar to ETCP.
ReplyDeleteBattery safety is very important, I have done a lot around batteries and it is quite interesting researching the safeties that are already in place in some industries as well as those beginning to be implemented. One thing that I have experienced regarding battery safety is that it is taught a lot more to those who go more in depth into electrical work and is often glossed over in other disciplines. I also find it interesting that this innovation is coming from the University of Sheffield as they don’t have a theatre degree. It shows how interdisciplinary work can help to benefit many people by encouraging new ways of thinking and fosters creativity and out of the box thinking. The spread of safety information is one of the most important things especially in theater where some people may have information that other workers or actors don’t have. P.S: My mom went to University of Sheffield for a semester and I have heard many great things about the school; from this article it seems that the school is continuing to be a good place for learning.
ReplyDeleteThe leading cause of fires is typically people being dumb or electricity, absolutely anything we can do to make electricity safer and reduce those fires is easily worth the price, as the return on investment we get will far exceed the cost to rebuild an entire house or room anytime we have an electrical fire. I think this article is absolutely right, we need better standards and policies about having batteries on set. Recently, my high school TD gave me an arc lighter he was going to use in a harry potter wand prop to light up flash paper, however it was really badly soldered. When I hooked it up to the correct voltage the capacitor wanted, it exploded. If an actor had that in their hand, and was using it on stage when it exploded, bad things would have happened quite quickly, especially if the capacitor was directly touching their hand.
ReplyDeleteThere are many things in the theater industry that safety is the number one priority but I don't think I have ever heard anyone concerned about the batteries in the props and costumes. Although it is a very interesting point to figure out which battery will be the most sustainable as it is run through the pressures of being put onstage. Normally the theater industry just takes what the rest of the world has figured out and adapted it to our precise needs but it is challenging to replicate the physical damage that is done to an object by actors. Being on stage causes items to get hot as people hold them and lights beat down on them as well as each item tends to get beat up or purposely broken as each play calls for specific scenarios. Overall the environment can be quite damaging and many theaters rely on limited runs or constant repair to ensure each item and costume remain functioning.
ReplyDeleteThis is a great thing someone was able to notice needed improvement. The fact that people use lithium batteries everyday in household items means that companies don’t have to add protection from uses such as props on stage or from being worn in a costume every night. I think this research will really go a long way for the theatre industry. The last thing we want when working on a production for months is for certain design choices to fail because of a false or worn out battery. Also, the batteries being worn out could not only cause certain aspects of the show to fail but also cause harm to anything or anyone on stage if used incorrectly. No one on stage or in the audience wants to see anyone get hurt because the production crew was unable to find a safer replacement for any damage caused to the batteries.
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