I was thinking of the noun “baffle”, which would be a thing that restrains or regulates. Our HVAC repairman used “baffles” to redirect the air flow in the ducts so that more air went to a certain vent. And back in the ‘80s, we had a full-motion waterbed (just a big sack of water), but if we hadn’t been so poor, we could have afforded a waterbed with “baffles” that reduced the wave motion. So a “baffled” scientist blows hot air in a chosen direction and doesn’t make waves?