Static electricity/Static electricity safety

Problem
Static electricity scares people into not experimenting with it. Respect for this project has to start by respecting these fears and addressing them. Create and administer a survey of people's fears. Without this, static electricity projects turn into a type of "I dare you" game that only the unstable and those willing to risk harm for attention participate in.

Background video

Concept
Find objects such as jello or fruit that act like the human body electrically. Figure out how to detect and even measure damage. Focus on the current moving as a result of discharge. Perform and document experiments associated with very little current causing the heart to stop, medium amounts of current that damage nerves and lots of current that cooks.

Develop a tests of mats that insulate one from what is underneath. Do this rather than spending $2000 on one.

Design
Focused Impedance Measurement (FIM) design should be leveraged.

Electrical stimulus could have uncovered some current and voltage upper limits.

Implement
Review ESD materials to figure out which apply particularly to working with High voltage static electricity.

Search for test protocols for rubber gloves, matting and blankets .. and testing standards in general at ASTM, not Antistatic mats .. these testing standards should be available through libraries at major engineering universities. For example, where does this table come from? Is it even relevant?

Operate
Worry about computers, sound systems and other electronics that could be damaged by static electric demo's. How far away do they need to be? What is the shielding requirement of modern laptops, sound systems? How do these shielding requirements translate into feet? Is the shielding designed for far field or near field or both?

Demo
Presentation

Next Steps

 * Interview people, collect opinions about electricity, safety .. see if can focus on static electricity
 * Build review of static safety with references in wikipedia style
 * How radiated energy from model human body destroys circuits has nothing to do with this
 * Summarize High-Voltage Power Line Saftey
 * Simulate the human body so that static electricity behaves around the simulation like it would around a human body.
 * Develop a theory of operation for Focused Imepdance Measurement
 * Find common practice electrical stimulus upper voltage and current limits for AC and DC.
 * Review ESD materials to figure out why apply to protecting equipment and people in possible static electricity demos
 * Develop a test of protective matting .. that protects from static discharge
 * Draw diagrams explaining how discharging/charging through a key protects the human body
 * Research static electricity tests at ASTM
 * Try to answer the question .. How far away should computers and sound systems be from static demonstrations?