Researchers Developing Self-Destructing Gadgets and Chips

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By Sean Fitz-Gerald2013-07-20 23:00:40 UTC

"This message will self-destruct in five seconds" — it's a scene straight out of Mission: Impossible that's now becoming reality.

Researchers at the University of Illinois — in collaboration with Tufts University and Northwestern University — want your smartphones, among other devices, to essentially do just that. Maybe with less smoke, though. In a program called "Born to Die," University of Illinois engineering professor John A. Rogers is leading the development of "transient electronics."

The researchers involved have started off by designing a chip that dissolves when it hits water; eventually, the team wants your entire phone to become electronic compost. This advancement could also introduce new design paradigms for medical implants, environmental monitors and other consumer devices.

The current prototype chip is made out of magnesium, silicon and silk. According to Rogers, the action of these elements dissolving in water occurs naturally in the environment and inside the human body — in other words, no harmful byproducts or chemicals are involved. The structure of the silk determines the rate of dissolution, which can range from minutes to years.

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency supported this project.