Wednesday, September 16, 2015
Short Bytes: PARC has developed a self-destructing computer chip under DARPA’s vanishing programmable resource project. The chip, made of Gorilla glass, will self-destruct in 10 seconds to keep the top-secret information safe.
t’s time to relive your sci-fi movie fantasies of James Bond and Mission Impossible franchises as the PARC engineers have developed a self-destructing computer chip. The chip will self-destruct in 10 seconds to keep the top-secret information safe. It is developed as a part of DARPA’s vanishing programmable resource project.
After a sudden explosion, this self-destructing chip, made from Gorilla Glass, will break into pieces- thus erasing all the sensitive information that could become a danger to you. This toughened glass piece undergoes heavy stress, which is triggered via heat, radio signal or some mechanical switch.
Explaining more about the chip, PARC scientist Gregory Whiting says that the glass is subjected to ion-exchange tamper to develop stress. To do this, glass is preferred as it breaks into small pieces under heavy stress.
The report about this self-destructing chip mentions heat is used to break the glass and it is supplied when the circuit is switched on. Thus, a small resistor heats up and glass shatters into thousands of pieces. Even after the explosion, the stress remains in the pieces and they continue to break into even smaller pieces.
This self-destructing chip was demonstrated at the DARPA’s Wait, What? future technology conference in St Louis, Missouri on 10 September. This chip could be of great use in destroying important data like encryption keys as it’s impossible to read the data after the chip is shattered.
Talking along the similar lines, Gregory Whiting says that PARC is interested in data security and they want to make systems that are fast and compatible with latest electronics. It should be noted that DARPA awarded $3,128,834 as the contract award for the research under the vanishing programmable resource project.
Watch the video below to know more about self-destructing chip and share your views in the comments below.
