Sticky foam as a less-than-lethal technology
Sandia National Labs (SNL) in 1994 completed a project funded by the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) to determine the applicability of sticky foam for correctional applications. Sticky foam is an extremely tacky, tenacious material used to block, entangle, and impair individuals. The NIJ project developed a gun capable of firing multiple shots of sticky foam, tested the gun and sticky foam effectiveness on SNL volunteers acting out prison and law enforcement scenarios, and had the gun and sticky foam evaluated by correctional representatives. Based on the NIJ project work, SNL supported the Marine Corps Mission, Operation United Shield, with sticky foam guns and supporting equipment to assist in the withdrawal of UN Peacekeepers from Somalia. Prior to the loan of the equipment, the Marines were given training in sticky foam characterization, toxicology, safety issues, cleanup and waste disposal, use limitations, use protocol and precautions, emergency facial clean-up, skin cleanup, gun filling, targeting and firing, and gun cleaning. The Marine Corps successfully used the sticky foam guns as part of that operation. This paper describes these recent developments of sticky foam for non-lethal uses and some of the lessons learned from scenario and application testing.
- Research Organization:
- Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE, Washington, DC (United States); Department of Justice, Washington, DC (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC04-94AL85000
- OSTI ID:
- 442050
- Report Number(s):
- SAND-96-2495C; CONF-961113-22; ON: DE97000744
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: Photonics East `96: International Society for Optical Engineering (SPIE) conference and exhibition on photonic sensors and controls for commercial applications, Boston, MA (United States), 19-21 Nov 1996; Other Information: PBD: [1996]
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Materials Applications for Non-Lethal: Aqueous Foams
Aspiration tests in aqueous foam using a breathing simulator