First published in the Daily Maverick 168 weekly newspaper. A device the size of a cellphone could stop one of humankind’s most feared predators from taking a bite out of surfers, divers and swimmers. The device is a personal electronic deterrent and new research, published by Australia’s Royal Society Open Science journal, shows it is 60% successful in preventing shark attacks. It works by emitting a strong electric field that interferes with the shark’s electro-receptive system, which the predator uses to find prey. The shark only feels this electric field when it is up close and is about to bite.