Netgun

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Netguns are non-lethal weapons designed to fire a net which entangles the target. Netguns have a long history of being used to capture wildlife, without injury, for research purposes.

[edit] Popular Culture

The term has lately been adopted for fantasy weapons used in imaginary or cyber combat. These fantasy weapons work in the same way as real netguns. An explosive charge or compressed air propels a weighted net toward a target. The net envelopes the target and immobilizes it.

One example of a potential netgun has been used in the Predator series of films, most notably Predator 2 and Alien vs. Predator. This version is somewhat less non-lethal, as it tightens around the target and cuts them like razor wire. In The Movie AVP, 2003, one of the human researchers early in the film is hit by the net projectile and constricts, cutting him. The Net seems to constrict more rapidly as he struggles and demonstrates incredible power when one of the other humans attempts to cut the net and has his combat knife cut by the net, to the shock of the researchers.

In the PC game Aliens Versus Predator 2, the net-gun only immobilizes the target until the player-controlled character either cuts his way out with the knife (Marine), Claws (Alien), or the wristblades (Predator) as quickly as possible.