The electric carpet is the archetypical example of device used in hazing

Hazing

Hazing is a term used to describe various ritual and other activities involving harassment, abuse or humiliation used as a way of initiating a person into a group....

, and has been, at least popularly, associated with American Freemasonry

Freemasonry

Freemasonry is a fraternal organisation that arose from obscure origins in the late 16th to early 17th century. Freemasonry now exists in various forms all over the world, with a membership estimated at around six million, including approximately 150,000 under the jurisdictions of the Grand Lodge...

 (although torture of any form has never been practiced in mainstream Freemasonry). It is a mat

Mat

A mat is a generic term for a piece of fabric or flat material, generally placed on a floor or other flat surface, and serving a range of purposes including:* providing a regular or flat surface, such as a mousepad....

 through which electric current

Electric current

Electric current is a flow of electric charge through a medium.This charge is typically carried by moving electrons in a conductor such as wire...

 can be run and people are forced to stand or walk on it. The torture could last hours and the volts could range from 500 to 500,000.

It can also be a warming rug.

External links

• http://www.phoenixmasonry.org/masonicmuseum/demoulin/electric_carpets.htm A description of electric carpets from a De Moulin Bros. catalog