DARPA Seeks To Secure Data With Electronics That Dissolve On Command

An anonymous reader writes "Electronic devices are built to last, which make them very reliable. However, if during a hostile situation such a device has to be left behind or gets dropped, it will continue to function and could end up giving the enemy an advantage. With that in mind, DARPA has set about creating electronics that work for as long as necessary, but can be destroyed at a moment's notice. The project is called Vanishing Programmable Resources (VAPR). Its main aim is to develop so-called transient electronics that are capable of dissolving completely, or at the very least to the point where they no longer function. Destroying a VAPR device should be as easy as sending a signal to it or placing the device within certain conditions e.g. extreme heat or cold, that triggers the rapid destruction process."

Comments

They should ask Boeing

[flowerp]

I heard Boeing has some batteries that meet these requirements.

Re:They should ask Boeing

[NoNonAlphaCharsHere]

If you dropped it, you weren't holding it right.

Re:They should ask Boeing

[catmistake]

Have you ever tried installing Windows... and just let the machine sit there, never using it? Even with no one ever using it, over time, the installation still rots. Even if you never used it, in a few short months, it will be unusable anyway. I think far and away the vendor that matches the requirements best is Microsoft. Although admittedly, the strategy of deploying something that is already broken (call it auto-self-destruct rather than merely self-destruct) seems to overshoot DARPA's goal.

Off to a questionable start

[tverbeek]

"Electronic devices are built to last...." Sorry, but you just lost me, right there.

Re:Sign in to keep vs destroy on command

[tverbeek]

That would hand The Enemy an easy method of sabotage. All he would need to do to cripple your gear is to try to use it (like some idiot locking out your account by trying to guess the password... but in this case it's hardware and it's irreversible). Or if it's based on time elapsed since the authorized user was using it, just keep you away from it for that long. If you want the authorized user to be the one to determine when the gear should (and should not) be sacrificed, it has to be "destroy on command".

Current U.S. Landmines do this

[schneidafunk]

"Antipersonnel landmines used by the United States, with the exception of those now warehoused for use in Korea, do not have long-term residual effects because they are self-destructing and/or self-deactivating"

Reference here