Static electricity?

[Jo]

I've been having this character bouncing around in my ead for a while: a hell-sheep. Don't laugh. ._.;; Anyway, he's have faulty robotic limbs and be partially blind and deaf, so he needs a way to defend himself. I was wondering if perhaps he could conduct some sort of static electricity in his wool? It wouldn't be able to kill or seriously harm or anything, just jolt rather harmlessly. He could conduct it through a collar lined with amber or someting-- I know amber and wool make static electricity when rubbed together.

Teh Wiki

Thoughts?

[River]

That's a really interesting concept Josie (one I'm particularly fascinated in since I'm currently studying static electricity in Physics ^^). However, it has a bit of a flaw in it. Since the sheep is standing on the ground, all of his charge would be dispersed into the earth via the surface of his skin. So, even if somehow he could generate enough static electricity from the collar, it would never get to his opponent. .. unless maybe his hooves had some sort of rubber or plastic covering to keep the charge from leaving him. Then it just might be plausible enough for me to allow. ;3

You'd have to do more than a collar though. A few collars and cuffs in various places... and perhaps if you give him a short tail with a few strips of amber on it. That way, he could wag his tail to conduct more electricity. But, be aware, anytime he touches the ground (or any object that conducts for that matter, which includes other animals), he'll loose the charge. Nevertheless, I think I'd allow it. That's very inventive of you Josie.^^

[Jo]

Yeah, I'd give him rubber bottoms on his hooves. His legs are all fake from the elbow/knee down. And I'll give him more "trappings", a harness, maybe. Stuff that can create friction with what's not fake on him. I'm going to have to see what else conducts electricity with wool; amber is valuable, after all.

I'm going to name him Orwell, after the guy who wrote "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?". ^_^

[River]

Plastic conducts with wool too, if that helps. We were playing around with it in Physics. ^^ It doesn't conduct very much though, I'm afraid. Rubber actually might conduct as well since I think that's what makes those huge balls that conduct electricity run. There's like a conveyor belt inside and a piece of wool that rubs against it... though I'm not sure what the belt is made out of, I think it might be rubber. o.O I'll have to ask my Physics teacher now. X3