Phony electric chairs which imitate high-voltage shocks and offer volunteers a certificate of grit have become an instant success on Belgium's coast. The handful of machines, placed mainly in the coastal town of Blankenberge, produce no real electric shocks but stron vibrations giving a similart sensation.
Smoke billows from the chair when someone takes the highest dose.
Pregnant women and people with weak hearts are advised against trying out the machine, said the manager of an amusement arcade operating one of them. Belgium, which used to execute criminals by guillotine, has not done so since 1950. It finally eliminated the death penalty last year.