SBIR Phase I: Wireless Anti-static Device for Electrostatic Discharge Mitigation

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project is to revolutionize the electrostatic discharge (ESD) prevention market. Currently available ESD mitigation products often inhibit the mobility of the user, lack reliability, or are prohibitively expensive. The proposed system enables reliable and economical wireless prevention of electrostatic shocks for customers handling sensitive electronics or working near explosives, offering increased safety and productivity. The development has the potential to increase employee efficiency and manufacturing reliability in various electronics-based industries. The status quo, a tethered grounding wrist strap, severely inhibits the mobility of the user, and leads to considerable potential for neglect or misuse by careless employees. Where workers might have abstained from using tethered wrist straps because of their inconvenience, the proposed innovation will decisively prevent disruptive or even catastrophic ESD events. The proposed innovation has applications in other markets to alleviate the burden and potential danger of frequent electric shocks. This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project is expected to advance the state of the art in antistatic technology. Preventing electrostatic discharge is crucial when working with sensitive electronics or in hazardous environments. The project will develop a reliable wireless device that equalizes the wearer's electrostatic charge. The system developed here will reliably sense when the electric potential of a capacitive object surpasses a threshold relative to its adjacent environment. Second, a miniaturized charge transfer device will actively expel the excess charge from the body to its surroundings. Lastly, the two components will function harmoniously in a discrete package to reliably keep the user's electric potential equalized. An experimental testbed has been developed to mimic the charged human body and verify technical aspects of the core innovation. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.