Self-destructing chip

The new Xerox Parc chip has yet to hit store shelves. In fact, it doesn’t have too many functions yet – it is the result of a conceptual project financed by the American organization DARPA (Agency for Advanced Research Projects in the Area of ​​Defense). However, it has one special advantage that all lovers of computer security as well as fans of spy movies will appreciate: it can self-destruct.

The chip is made of a material similar to that used in smartphone displays, modified to have small cracks in it from the very beginning. Circuits were then printed on its surface, and a laser-sensitive transistor was placed underneath it. When the light beam triggers an element, a cascading effect begins – the system breaks into pieces that break into even smaller pieces, until finally nothing is left but elements that cannot be reassembled.

Numerous applications for this type of device can be envisioned – security keys, encrypted passwords and other data. If a hacker attack is detected, all information stored on the chip could be permanently deleted within seconds. Of course, the benefits of the technology could be detrimental to the user – for example, if data were deleted as a result of an error or malicious intruder.

[źródło: popularmechanics.com grafika: gizmodo.com]