Nothing But Net
Universal Safety Response received a $650,000 grant from the state of New York to develop a “ground retractable automobile barrier” (GRAB), a security net made of Kevlar and metal that pops out of the ground to catch a speeding automobile.
GRAB, which resides in a 2-inch-wide groove in the ground, can be deployed by either a manual button or remote sensors. Tests of GRAB show that an 1,800-pound automobile traveling at 45 miles an hour can be stopped within 13 feet with little damage caused to the vehicle.
GRAB has already been deployed to protect the security entrance of the decommissioned USS Intrepid, which now serves as a floating museum on New York’s Hudson River. GRAB could also serve to protect bridges, tunnels, railroad crossings, and security gates at government buildings.
Abstracted by the National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center(NLECTC) from the Scientific American (02/03) Vol. 288, No. 2, P. 20; Scott, Phil.
