Sticky Foam
At the Sandia National Laboratory in Albuquerque, New Mexico,
project engineers have been working on a different type of restraint system: a foam so
sticky it can literally stop a suspect in his tracks. The foam is delivered from a
specially-developed dispenser that is carried in a shoulder sling. When fired, it ejects
the sticky foam from the dispenser's cylinder.
Variety of problems have been found with Sticky Foam:
- It can be lethal if sprayed toward the face, causing immediate suffocation. However the
foam could be useful for denying access to certain rooms or corridors, as in the case of a
drug raid or a prison riot.
- Currently there are no "antidote", while the foam is non-toxic, the solvents
that unstuck a person are potentially toxic, and so far, no totally safe and effective
solvent has been found. The other alternative is to cut the individual out of their
clothing with a pair of scissors
