What if the piles of flip phones, video-game consoles and other useless electronics taking up drawer space around your house suddenly vanished? A division of the Pentagon recently enlisted the help of two organizations to make this technology a reality — though it won't be for space-saving purposes.
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency launched a program last January called Vanishing Programmable Resources to build biodegradable electronics that begin to dissolve after someone triggers them to do so. Last week, research company SRI International received a $4.7 million government contract to help out DARPA. The two organizations will also collaborate with Honeywell, a manufacturing enterprise.
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Modern U.S. soldiers carry everything from night vision goggles and tablets to radios, all of which can easily get left behind near enemy terrain. The U.S. Department of Defense wants to use disappearing electronics on the battlefield, so the military can be more environmentally friendly, as well as protect potentially important information.
"It is nearly impossible to track and recover every device, resulting in unintended accumulation in the environment and potential unauthorized use and compromise of intellectual property and technological advantage," according to the Vanishing Programmable Resources page on DARPA's website. DARPA declined to comment for this article, and neither Honeywell nor SRI International have responded to requests for comment.
The organizations plan to first build a vanishing silicon air battery, although its release date is unknown.
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Image: Flickr, Telefonica Germany External Communications