Your computer will self-destruct in 5, 4, 3, 2,1....

[jos]

Engineers at Xerox PARC have developed a chip that will self-destruct upon command, providing a potentially revolutionary tool for high-security applications.

 

The chip, developed as part of DARPA’s vanishing programmable resources project, could be used to store data such as encryption keys and, on command, shatter into thousands of pieces so small, reconstruction is impossible.

 

the glass was stressed to breaking point by heat. When a circuit was switched on, a small resistor heated up and the glass shattered into thousands of pieces. Even after it broke up, stress remained in the fragments and they continued breaking into even smaller pieces for tens of seconds afterwards.

 

 

NOw implement this in all future AI and robotics project.. finally a way to shutdown skynet..

 

Source: http://www.pcworld.com/article/2983015/hardware/xerox-parcs-new-chip-will-self-destruct-in-10-seconds.html

[DannyRyu]

I think its an unstable overclock.

[The Dragon]

Mission impossible is now possible!

[,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,]

YAY! RIP TERMINATORS! Unless... they fix this themselves.

[iamdarkyoshi]

A GLASS substrate? Thats awesome!! Post it on the EEVBlog forums if its not there already!

[Humbug]

That's quite brilliant

“We take the glass and we ion-exchange temper it to build in stress,” said Whiting. “What you get is glass that, because it’s heavily stressed, breaks it fragments into tiny little pieces.”

In a demonstration on Thursday, the glass was stressed to breaking point by heat. When a circuit was switched on, a small resistor heated up and the glass shattered into thousands of pieces. Even after it broke up, stress remained in the fragments and they continued breaking into even smaller pieces for tens of seconds afterwards.

[Admiral Naismith]

Or you could just do this....

 

[Dabombinable]

Ok....now imagine if you use one of their region locked cartridges in a printer not from the cartridges region. Goodbye printer and/or cartridge.

[Sidiox]

Or you could just do this....

 

Not if you've lost physical access to the device. This could mean that you can send a message to your stolen cellphone and boom all your nudes are safe from leaking out.

[Dabombinable]

Not if you've lost physical access to the device. This could mean that you can send a message to your stolen cellphone and boom all your nudes are safe from leaking out.

I'd just have my entire phone turn to dust. No pricks going to get use out of my stuff if I can avoid it.

[Fetzie]

Not if you've lost physical access to the device. This could mean that you can send a message to your stolen cellphone and boom all your nudes are safe from leaking out.

 

Unless you have a phone whose battery gets quite hot. That could mean you end up with a pocket full of glass shards

[FunkyFeatures]

Jos being on point with them news!

This is quite interesting, I know that big companies have to throw out drives, but they also need to remove all the data - this could be a thing today, but also as you mentioned, to stop Skynet

[Thony]

CSI will still put it together and gather data....

[Sidiox]

I'd just have my entire phone turn to dust. No pricks going to get use out of my stuff if I can avoid it.

But that would be a lot trickier to implement wouldn't it? This would be a chip in a cell phone. Having an explosive compound in your phone seems like a bad idea, even if you had the space to put it and the igniter. This isn't ment for your Average Joe, but for people who actually have very sensitive data but wouldn't want or can't carry a mini bomb with them on their devices at all times. 

[Dabombinable]

But that would be a lot trickier to implement wouldn't it? This would be a chip in a cell phone. Having an explosive compound in your phone seems like a bad idea, even if you had the space to put it and the igniter. This isn't ment for your Average Joe, but for people who actually have very sensitive data but wouldn't want or can't carry a mini bomb with them on their devices at all times. 

Note: Turn to dust.

[Fetzie]

But that would be a lot trickier to implement wouldn't it? This would be a chip in a cell phone. Having an explosive compound in your phone seems like a bad idea, even if you had the space to put it and the igniter. This isn't ment for your Average Joe, but for people who actually have very sensitive data but wouldn't want or can't carry a mini bomb with them on their devices at all times. 

 

Can't take explosive devices on a plane either, for obvious reasons.

[Bouzoo]

Or you could just do this....

 

I'll bet the T-1000 can survive that.

[PlayStation 2]

You do know that this could be exploited really badly.

[Dabombinable]

You do know that this could be exploited really badly.

By Xerox to squeeze more money out of people (for those who are too serious-its possible but suicidal for Xerox),

[PlayStation 2]

By Xerox to squeeze more money out of people (for those who are too serious-its possible but suicidal for Xerox),

I mean theoretically, if someone wanted to kill someone from a fucking printer, they could.

[Doobeedoo]

Yeah, implementing it in robots... noice.

[Trik'Stari]

A thermite charge above your drives tied to a switch on your desk would be a far better solution.

[Guest]

Or you could just strap a bomb to it
 and say HASTA LA VISTA BABY before you blow it up

[iamdarkyoshi]

Unless you have a phone whose battery gets quite hot. That could mean you end up with a pocket full of glass shards

my nexus 5's CPU gets too hot to touch sometimes. The camera lens is a slight heatsink...

[MrRavens]

Or you could just strap a bomb to it

 and say HASTA LA VISTA BABY before you blow it up

 

Hmmm, I like the way you think. There's never enough explosives.