Gravity panels are part of the artificial gravity system on Earth ships. They were present on the USG Ishimura and USM Valor and presumably are powered by the central gravity gyro on the Engineering Deck. As the Ishimura falls into a derelict state, the gravity panels break and malfunction. This causes objects that cross over them to be pinned to the ceiling and crushed by the resulting force. These broken panels are easily identifiable by a visible "current" that flows upwards from them.