Aperture Science Material Emancipation Grill

"Please be advised that a noticeable taste of blood is not part of any test protocol but is an unintended side effect of the Aperture Science Material Emancipation Grill, which may, in semi-rare cases, emancipate dental fillings, crowns, tooth enamel, and teeth."

- GLaDOS

The Aperture Science Material Emancipation Grill, also known as Emancipation Grid, Portal Fizzler or simply Fizzler, is a testing element featured right before any elevator at the end of each Enrichment Center Test Chamber, within some Test Chambers where they are part of the test, in administrative areas, and at the entrance of GLaDOS' chamber.

Overview



 * The purpose of this "incandescent particle field" is mostly to "reboot" any portal created with the ASHPD. In that way, each Test Subject starts each new Test Chamber with a "clean" portal network, and must use their assets properly within the section of the testing area.


 * The early designs and stages of the Emancipation Grill were used at the old Aperture Science Innovators' test chambers when testing the Mobility Gels. The old design featured several emitters along each side to help provide a stable grill and barrier field which also vaporized any unauthorized testing material that passed through it.


 * The Material Emancipation Grill's design is a similar, albeit sleeker form of the Combine's Force Field, but in a semi-reverse fashion: It allows anyone through, but not inanimate objects. The sides are two curved emitters with a pair of blue stripes on each, which disperse waves of glowing particles, slowly moving from one side to the other.


 * The Material Emancipation Grill is meant to vaporize any unauthorized equipment - such as Aperture Science Weighted Storage Cubes, props, and NPCs - that pass through it.


 * Some objects such as the squared metal panels found in the maintenance area before the first Rocket Sentry are not affected by the Emancipation Grill. This is likely a developer's oversight, since the player has no reason to take these panels in the following offices.


 * When an object is vaporized through the grill, it turns black, slowly hovering in mid-air before disintegrating in some sort of silent fire emitting sparks. This is similar to the effect witnessed when objects are hit with the alternate fire of an OSIPR. In Portal 2, the object makes a loud noise as it disintegrates, similar to that of when you disintegrate a radio in Portal.


 * GLaDOS states that it "emancipates" dental fillings, crowns, tooth enamel, and teeth, but only in "semi-rare cases." She also states that a noticeable taste of blood may occur, although it is an unintended side effect. It may also emancipate the ear tubes inside subject's head.




 * The Rocket Sentries' rockets also vaporize while going through the Material Emancipation Grill, but will, before disappearing, turn on themselves at a high speed instead of slowly hovering.


 * When clipboards are vaporized through this element, they do not emit any fire or spark and vanish upon contact with the first wall.


 * Each time Chell passes through a Material Emancipation Grill, the ASHPD will slightly shake and the light on its body will turn off until fired again, showing the portal "reboot."


 * When being put through a Material Emancipation Grill, a Sentry Turret will emit a long "ayayayayay" sound and vaporize, whether it is disabled or not.


 * When a radio is brought through the Material Emancipation Grill, its music stops as the radio disintegrates. Since the March 2010 updates made to Portal as part of the ARG, on PC the radio makes three other sounds ("dinosaur_fizzle.wav", "dinosaur_fizzle2.wav", and "dinosaur_fizzle3.wav") when disintegrating.


 * As seen on one of its blueprints, the Borealis contains a Material Emancipation Grill.


 * Any NPC - such as Headcrabs, Alyx, Combine Soldiers, etc. - will also be vaporized by the Material Emancipation Grill. This has likely no canonical significance, as it is not supposed to happen in the normal course of the game.

Behind the scenes



 * Both the Portal Prima Guide and Portal in-game subtitles refer to the term "Grid" instead of "Grill". "Grid" is used once in a subtitle through GLaDOS, while she pronounces "Grill" in-game. The subtitle token names also use the term "Grid". The presence of the term "Grid" in the subtitles and the Portal Prima Guide suggests the term was originally "Grid", and that it was changed later to "Grill".


 * Despite Portal having a common problem with the subtitles and it's Prima Guide constantly referring to the Grills as "Grids", the mistake of using both "Grid" and "Grill" occurred yet again throughout Portal 2, even pronounced within the developer commentaries itself by Brownwen Grimes when explaining the changes of the design. And since the developer commentaries are usually made after a game's development is finished, it can be safely assumed that "Grid" may not only be an alternate name, but a more official name rather than "Grill".


 * According to Garret Rickey, the combination of the Material Emancipation Grills and the elevators serve a dual purpose. They provide a clearly identifiable end-point for each Test Chamber, while also addressing the more practical problem of how to keep players from portaling across level loads, eventually leading to the integration of Material Emancipation Grills in the tests themselves.

Trivia

 * The track "Taste of Blood" in the Portal soundtrack is a reference to the Material Emancipation Grill.
 * There is a bug in Portal 2 co-op that allows transporting testing elements through the Material Emancipation Grill. One robot should stay in the Material Emancipation Grill while another robot should give him/her the testing element.

List of appearances

 * Portal
 * Half-Life 2: Episode Two
 * Portal: First Slice
 * Portal: Still Alive
 * Portal 2
 * The Final Hours of Portal 2