‘Nothing death-defying about Blaine’s stunt’

Magician David Blaine is fitted with a metal suit and head cage before a demonstration of his upcoming performance "Electrified" during a press briefing in New York.

Magician David Blaine is fitted with a metal suit and head cage before a demonstration of his upcoming performance "Electrified" during a press briefing in New York.

Published Oct 8, 2012

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It was billed as a death-defying stunt which was his most dangerous yet and would astonish millions.

But David Blaine’s latest feat has been dismissed as having “no danger” by one of the world’s most eminent physicists.

Professor John Belcher said he would be happy to take the illusionist’s place even though he was 69 and by nature “risk-averse”.

Blaine has been standing in the middle of a million volts of electric current streamed by Tesla coils for his stunt Electrified.

They have been sending giant lightning bolts shooting towards him for the three-day event ending on Monday night.

His only protection has been a suit of armour and a specially designed helmet. But the professor, an acclaimed space expert, said his only worry would be getting enough sleep.

“He has a conducting suit, all the current is going through the suit, nothing through his body,” he said. “There is no danger that I see. I would do it, and I am 69 and risk-averse. I just would have to take a nap.”

He added that the magician was wearing a Faraday suit made of highly conductive stainless steel. Workmen use one if building high-voltage power lines and amateur physicists sometimes fashion their own while studying Tesla coils.

William Allen Zajc, a physicist at Columbia University, was also unimpressed. He said the only notable thing was that Blaine was having to stand for 72 hours. The event in New York also prompted the following post on Twitter: “David Blaine electrified... if only.”

So far, the stunt is going to plan although Blaine suffered an electric shock in practice when a visor on his helmet touched his nose. - Daily Mail

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