South Korea has developed a new shark-repelling device that provides safety to both humans and sharks, the government said Wednesday.
The device uses solar panels set on top of floating buoys to create a curtain of magnetic fields that is only irritating to sharks, according to the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries.
Each solar panel creates a magnetic current of less than 5 volts, which is virtually undetectable to humans or other fish, a ministry official said.
“The country sees a considerable number of casualties from attacks by great white sharks each year,” the ministry said in a press release. “We hope the shark-repelling device will help allow our people to safely enjoy marine activities.”
The new device, developed jointly with the country’s Kunsan National University, will likely be commercialized in about two years, following a series of field tests, the ministry said. (Yonhap News)
