With the mercury in Montreal lucky to make it above 0° C (32° F) at this time of year, Duracell has provided city commuters a way to keep warm by literally reaching out to each other. In a PR move that it hopes will warm the hearts – and hands – of commuters, Duracell has constructed a bus shelter that will only turn on the heat if travelers hold hands with each other.
Instead of consciously avoiding eye contact and hiding behind a mobile device and a pair of headphones, commuters need to acknowledge each other's existence and cooperate to get the heat pumping. The bus shelter features positive and negative contacts that need to be connected to complete a circuit and kick the heater in the roof into action.
Because these contacts are located on either side of the shelter, commuters need to team up and hold hands – although some have opted for the less intimate prolonged fist bump – while holding the other hand against the wall of the bus shelter. This shouldn't prove any problem for those traveling with that special someone, but could provide some awkward moments amongst strangers. Of course, it could also result in meeting that special someone.
Some heartwarming scenes of commuters enjoying the warmth of the bus shelter can be seen in the video below.
Source: Duracell via Treehugger
