Why does electric eel produce electricity

So such a device might power soft-bodied robots that have been designed to swim or move like real animals. It might even be useful inside the body, such as to run a heart pacemaker. And it generates power through a simple motion: just a squeeze. A research team based in Switzerland described the new device February 19 at a scientific meeting in San Francisco, Calif.

Electric eels generate their electric charge using specialized cells. Thousands of these cells line up. Together, they look like rows upon rows of stacked hot-dog buns. They direct the movement of charged particles, called ions , to generate electricity. Tiny tubes connect the cells, like pipes. Most of the time, these channels let positively charged molecules — ions — flow outward from both the front and back of a cell.

But when the eel wants to impart an electric shock, its body opens some of the channels and closes others. Like an electric switch, this now lets positively charged ions flow in one side of the channels and out the other. As they move, these ions build a positive electric charge in some places. This creates a negative charge in other places. That difference in charges sparks a trickle of electricity in each electrocyte.

With so many electrocytes, those trickles add up. Together, they can produce a jolt strong enough to stun fish — or fell a horse. The new artificial organ uses its own version of electrocytes. Although the voltage is dangerously high, the current and duration are quite low. Still, it could kill you, depending on how the electricity travels through your body. How do electric eels generate this electricity?

It turns out almost all cells including the ones that make up your body have an electrical charge. They create this electrical potential using energy from food. But sadly, these charges are useless for shocking your enemies. Go Paperless with Digital. Angel Caputi, senior scientist and head of the department of integrative and computational neuroscience at the Institute for Biological Research "Clement Estable" in Uruguay, explains.

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Continue reading with a Scientific American subscription. They also have poor eyesight, but can emit a low-level charge, less than 10 volts, which they use like radar to navigate and locate prey. Electric eels can reach huge proportions, exceeding 8 feet in length and 44 pounds in weight. They have long, cylindrical bodies and flattened heads and are generally dark green or grayish on top with yellowish coloring underneath.

Human deaths from electric eels are extremely rare. However, multiple shocks can cause respiratory or heart failure, and people have been known to drown in shallow water after a stunning jolt. All rights reserved. Common Name: Electric Eel. Scientific Name: Electrophorus electricus.

Type: Fish. Diet: Carnivore. Group Name: Swarm. Size: 6 to 8 feet.