When someone with a static charge buildup touches an electronic device the damages to the IC are not difficult to detect. It's the secondary ESD effects that are hard to troubleshoot because they might not hit the IC. At least not right away. Researchers at the University of Missouri-Rolla (www.emclab.umr.edu) have developed a scanning probe that can pinpoint the affected area on a PCB. (www.sensorsmag.com/0906/RDESD)