Repulsion Gel

The Repulsion Gel is a testing element used in the Aperture Science Enrichment Center several centuries after Portal, and slated to appear in Portal 2.

Overview



 * Used as far as 1998 by Aperture Science, the Repulsion Gel is the company's second attempt at a dietetic pudding substitute, when the Propulsion Gel failed to this task and was converted into a testing element to be used with the ASHPD in Test Chambers. The gel, blue instead or orange, is said to be a slightly less non-toxic form of fiberglass insulation, and to be much sweeter than the Propulsion Gel. Its purpose was to cause subsequently ingested food items to bounce off the lining of the dieter's distended stomach and out of their mouth. However, for various reasons, the product was also pulled from the shelves like the Propulsion Gel, and also reconverted in a testing element.


 * As a testing element, the Repulsion Gel, coming as single blobs through a vent, is to transfer its properties to any object it touches, giving them a trampoline-like surface. After coating parallel walls on either side of a large pit, a Test Subject ricochets back and forth across the gap. Plastering Repulsion Gel all over a Weighted Storage Cube causes it to barrel across the room, shattering glass and taking out Sentry Guns in its path. Portals can also be shot under Repulsion Gel vents, allowing the gel to be sent in any area of a Test Chamber.


 * "Repulsion Gel" is a registered trademark of Aperture Science.

Behind the scenes



 * The Repulsion and Propulsion Gels were first introduced as unnamed paint types in the April, 2010 issue of Game Informer. Gameplay footage and their proper name was revealed during E3 2010.


 * So far the expanded gameplay produced by Repulsion Gel and Propulsion Gel alone appears to be extremely satisfying, and Valve indicated a willingness to include more if it sees fit.


 * The Repulsion Gel mirrors directly the green paint featured in the student video game Tag: The Power of Paint, as the whole team was hired by Valve to develop it for Portal 2. The original Tag paint was developed by Pongthep Charnchaichujit.

Trivia

 * So far it is unknown why while the Repulsion Gel was already in use in 1998, it is not seen in the first Portal, set around 20 years later.


 * The Repulsion and Propulsion Gels use the same colors as that of the ASHPD's portals (blue and orange, respectively).

List of appearances

 * Portal 2