ESD

= electrostatic discharge; When touching a grounded body, electric charges can run through it which can, under bad circumstances, lead to the destruction of sensible electric components and/or to fire or explosion hazard. A human body notices such a discharge of only about 2.000 V. If a system is grounded, the electrostatic charge that is created e.g. while walking on the carpet floor, will be lead securely to the ground due to a resistor.