Jan 31 2013
Security experts are always seeking new ways to protect sensitive information from falling into the wrong hands. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s (DARPA) Vanishing Programmable Resources (VAPR) program is exploring self-destructing electronics that will dissolve on command, taking classified data with it.
Image Copyright US Army
Upholding a technological advantage, particularly in the electronics field, is important to the US military. But often it is the sophistication of these devices, such as communication nodes and electronic sensors, that is their downfall. Because electronics are so inexpensive to manufacture, battlefields are littered with them. Though they may contribute to successful missions, their quantity makes it near impossible to retrieve them all. This means they may fall into enemy hands to be used again, to make countermeasures or reverse engineered.
Dissolving Self Destruction
In order to prevent this circumstance, DARPA has established the VAPR program. The program’s aim is to create electronics that are as resilient and efficient as their conventional counterparts, but with an ability to self-destruct that will cause them to destroy themselves on command.
This might conjure images of a James Bond-type scenario, but these “transient electronics” are being dissolved rather than exploded. Just a few droplets of liquid can destroy the device beyond repair.
DARPA’s previous work helps to build self-dissolving biomedical implants, with the area expanding into a multidiscipline methodology. Electronic components will be constructed from materials that function normally, but will be susceptible to their environment and dissolve when triggered.
“The commercial off-the-shelf, or COTS, electronics made for everyday purchases are durable and last nearly forever,” said DARPA program manager, Alicia Jackson.
She added that DARPA’s aim is to manufacture electronics that only last as long as they are required, with device breakdown being triggered from command signals or a range of environmental conditions, including temperature.
DARPA is currently seeking basic research proposals into creating a self-destroying biomedical or environmental sensor that has the capacity for communication with a remote user.