Choking incidents happen without warning, turning a routine lunch in a crowded restaurant or a bustling school cafeteria into a high-stakes emergency within seconds. Traditional first-aid protocols like the Heimlich maneuver remain the undisputed gold standard, but they are not foolproof. When dealing with young children whose airways are still developing, elderly patrons with weakened physical frames, or individuals with limited mobility, manual abdominal thrusts sometimes fall short—or risk causing secondary physical injuries if applied in sheer panic.