Just by walking across the room, we can charge our bodies to over 35,000 volts.  If we 
move near a metallic conductor, our stored charge can create a high-current, very brief 
spark between the conductor and the nearest part of our body.  Such an event is called an 
electrostatic discharge.  The discharge can be particularly intense if the relative humidity is below 20%.  If the metallic conductor is connected to an electronic module, the high-current event can travel into the module and cause significant damage.  
	ESD is especially pervasive in the automotive industry, where humans are 
constantly in the vicinity of an automobile’s electronics.  In light of this, Robert Bosch 
LLC has asked us to design and build an ESD gun to test their electronic modules for ESD 
susceptibility.
        An ESD gun works as follows:  First, the gun is charged to a high voltage.  Then a 
switch inside the gun quickly opens and closes;, allowing the stored charge to move onto 
the tip of the ESD gun.  If the ESD gun is moved into the vicinity of a module with an 
exposed conductor, the charge will flow in a high-current spark from the tip of the ESD 
gun to the conductor.  Now the ESD event is on the module.  Later, the consequences of 
this ESD event can be evaluated. 
Prices of ESD guns typically range from $35,000 - $50,000.  They also require AC power.  
Our goal is to create a more cost-effective, more portable ESD gun, while maintaining the 
ability to accurately create an ESD event in accordance with the human body model.

http://www.egr.msu.edu/classes/ece480/goodman/spring08/group05/