Copyright 2016 by Gary L. Pullman
More
and more, manufacturers have taken planned obsolescence to extremes,
designing products that self-destruct. Sometimes, “self-destruct”
means actual physical disintegration; other times, the term refers to
the deletion of sensitive data; still other times, it implies loss of
viability.
Security
and defense are two reasons for the use of such products, especially
by military forces, government agencies, and business corporations.
Other reasons for using these products include safeguarding health,
protecting the environment, lowering energy-production costs, and
generating publicity.
Whatever
the purpose behind the technology, self-destructing products are
astonishing, as this list indicates.
10
Drones
Self-destructive drone
Although
many may not be aware of the fact, self-destructing drones have been
in development since the 1960s. Under the code name TAGBOARD, one of
the first drones was developed in 1963 by Lockheed's Skunk Works. As
it flew along a predetermined course, it took pictures over enemy
territory. At some point, it would expel its camera and film to “be
recovered,” Major Robert C. Nolan II explains, by a C-130 aircraft
equipped with the Mid-Air Recovery System.” As it descended,
without power, the drone would self-destruct. The C-130 and the drone
operated together, Nolan says, “in a manner similar to that of the
space shuttle, which was “carried piggy back by a 747.” Another
early unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) was the Cruise missile, which,
Nolan observes, “is nothing more than an unmanned aircraft on a
one-way mission.”
Not
only are the military and DARPA developing UAVs, but NASA, in
conjunction with university scientists, has also developed such a
drone. Made of biodegradable plastics derived from a water-soluble fungus, mycelium, the drone is capable of self-destructing, should it
be shot down or lost while spying on objectives in enemy territory.
There's a glitch, though: so far, researchers haven't been able to
construct the aircraft's wings and controls from the substance. MIT
scientists are working on it, though, and hope that E. coli bacteria may be the answer.
9
Munitions
Self-destructive munitions
In fact, a number of other military weapons also already have self-destructing features or these capabilities are being developed for them. In combat, their self-destructing capability acts as their triggers, causing their detonations, but, in other instances, this capability is intended to prevent their capture and study by enemy forces. Such weapons, past and present, include cluster munitions, the high failure rate of some of which pose a hazard; antipersonnel landmines; and many other so-called smart munitions.
Cluster munitions are explosive devices which contain submunitions. When the
container explodes, it splits, freeing the submunitions, which do not
explode on impact. Scattered across a wide area, the submunitions
explode according to predetermined settings, damaging or destroying
multiple targets. The duds among them remain explosive and may injure
or kill friendly forces or civilians. As a result, some countries
have agreed to discontinue making and using them, while others, the
United States included, are producing self-destructing cluster
munitions, which can be made to explode themselves if they are not
detonated on impact.
One
of the self-destructing cluster bombs the military has fielded is the
small, lightweight Common Smart Submunition (CSS). Released from an
airplane, the CSS spins as it falls, its laser and infrared sensors
seeking targets. Spiraling at an altitude of 300 feet, the drone's
camera can take in two acres. Upon acquiring a target, the weapon
fires pieces of armor-piercing metal. If no targets are detected, it
shuts down in the air or self-destructs upon landing.
Under
the administration of President George H. W. Bush, the United States
agreed to ban “dumb” landmines in favor of using
self-destructing, or “smart,” landmines. To prevent injuring or
killing civilians long after combat ends, smart landmines
self-destruct if they don't explode within four hours to 15 days
after placement. If the self-destruct mechanism fails to work, the
landmine’s battery goes dead within 90 days, disarming the mine.
8
Bullets
Self-destructing bullets
Although
bullets are not munitions, the Army's new self-destructing projectiles can potentially also save civilians' lives. Although the
designers, Brian Kim, Mark Minisi, and Stephen McFarlane, had the
.50-caliber bullet in mind when they came up with the concept, the
technology can be applied to bullets of any caliber. Their bullets
use both a pyrotechnic material and a reactive material. The
pyrotechnic material ignites when the bullet fires. In turn, it
ignites the reactive material, and if the projectile travels as far
as desired before striking its target, the bullet begins to wobble,
quickly losing velocity, so its threat to civilians becomes minimal.
“The biggest advantage is reduced risk of collateral damage,"
McFarlane said. "In today's urban environments others could
become significantly hurt or killed, especially by a round the size
of a .50 caliber, if it goes too far.”
Researchers
with the U.S. Army Armament Research, Development and Engineering
Center said the bullets' range is adjustable by “switching up the
reactive materials used.” Currently, there is no funding for the
seemingly magic bullet.
Although
these bullets don't exist yet, the Army recently patented them, and a
prototype is likely to be developed. Although it may take a while, it
also seems likely the self-destructing bullet eventually will become
a reality.
7
Computer Chips and Semiconductors
Xerox
PARC engineers under contract to DARPA have designed self-destructingcomputer chips. Their purpose? To safeguard sensitive data. Within 10
seconds, the Gorilla Glass chip disintegrates after it's set off by
high temperature, mechanical mechanism, or radio signal. The chips
are only one of a series of self-destructing electronics DARPA is
pursuing.
Self-destructing electronics
Semiconductors
and other chips may self-destruct at other predetermined times or by
remote control. To protect sensitive information housed in
electronics, DARPA's Vanishing Programmable Resources (VPR) program
has awarded IBM $3.5 million to determine the feasibility of
producing “strained glass substrates” that can “crumble into
powder on demand.” Self-destructing computer chips could eventually
be installed in such mobile systems as GPS transponders and
smartphones that combat troops take into battle. The devices,
military leaders say, are “necessary for operations,” but their
use constitutes a security risk, since, if they are lost or abandoned
in enemy territory, they could compromise operations: “These
electronics are often found scattered across the battlefield and
might be captured by the enemy and repurposed or studied to
compromise [the Department of Defense's] DoD’s strategic
technological advantage, DARPA officials said in a statement.” The
VPR program is part of DARPA's long-term plan to “make electronics
that last precisely as long as they are needed” before
self-destructing by remote control or natural heat.
In
developing self-destructing electronics, it's not always necessary to
start from scratch. Professor John A. Rogers, the head of the John
Rogers Research Group at the University of Illinois at
Urbana-Champaign, “as much as possible,” adapts “the stuff that
is already out there for semiconductor manufacture” in mass
producing “his transient electronics devices,” and he uses other
“materials that already have FDA approval” to speed up the
process. Reusable electronics as a time-saver is probably a good
thing, as Rogers sees greater and greater future demand for
self-destructing electronics in a variety of fields, including
medical, communications, and military applications.
6
The Boeing Black Smartphone
Self-destructing Boeing Black Smartphone
The
Boeing Black Smartphone protects its users' data by
“self-destructing,” or deleting stored data and software and
making the handset unusable. The phones' parts cannot be serviced,
and epoxy and screws ensure its casing remains inviolable. Attempting
to open the phone to service or replace parts or to break into its
casing causes the phone to self-destruct. The phone, Boeing says, is
designed to provide “trusted access” and security.
The
phone's customers will be government agencies and defensecontractors. It will not be available to the general public. In
addition, its specifications are “confidential” and protected by
non-disclosure agreements.
Another
feature attractive to its customers is the fact that, in addition to
its standard ports and connections, it accepts a wide range of
“add-on modules,” reporter Derek Kessler says, including
satellite radio transceivers, expanded battery packs, solar chargers,
precise GPS receivers, secure discrete radio channels, biometric
scanners,” and more.
5
The Kingston Data Traveler 2000 USB Drive
Kingston Data Traveler 2000 USB Drive
Not
all self-destructing electronics technology is reserved for
government and military applications. This technology is also
relevant to products designed for civilian use, such as the Kingston
Data Traveler USB Drive and a variety of other consumer and
commercial products.
The
Kingston Data Traveler 2000 USB 3.0 thumb drive comes complete with a
keypad. It's also password protected. Should it be left behind or
lost, it locks anyone out who cannot successfully enter the password
in 10 tries. It also self-destructs, deleting all data and formatting
the drive.
Designed
with professionals who need secure data in mind, the drive has
built-in encryption software and can be locked, using the
alphanumeric keyboard, when not in use, allowing access by a PIN.
The
drive is also “certified to meet a frequently requested corporateIT requirement” and, Kingston states, is compatible with “Windows,
Mac OS, Linux, Chrome OS, Android,” which constitute “half of the
shipments of devices in today’s market.”
4
Syringes
Self-destructing syringe
As
many as 13 million people in developing countries die every year of
Hepatitis B infections due to reusing contaminated needles and
syringes. Nurses often use the same syringe multiple times to save
money. People also retrieve them from the trash, wash them, and
repackage them for resale. UNICEF health specialist Edward Hoekstra
said, “You can find in the market a perfectly well packaged
syringe, [but] then you look closely and you can still see some blood
in the syringe from the last person” it was used on. To combat this
situation, UNICEF and the World Heath Organization (WHO) have begun
using syringes that self-destruct after a single use. There are two
models. One mechanically locks the plunger once it's been used. The
second model has a breakable plunger. When it breaks, it cracks the
syringe, making it unusable. The syringe also breaks if an individual
attempts to load the syringe by force. Tasmania has already replaced
standard disposable syringes with self-destructing models.
Uganda
is also phasing out standard disposable syringes in favor of their
self-destructing counterparts.
However,
the reuse of disposable, non-self-destructing syringes is not a
problem only in developing countries. WHO points out that “a 2007
hepatitis C outbreak in the state of Nevada, . . . was traced to the
practices of a single physician who injected an anesthetic [in]to a
patient who had hepatitis C.” The problem has led to fatalities in
other nations as well. Self-destructing syringes prevent the spread
of this type of contamination and infection and help to prevent
infections caused by “needle-stick injuries.” Self-destructingtechnology is also useful in other medical devices that employ
syringes, such as some intravenous pumps. The purchase of
self-destructing syringes costs developing countries about twice the
amount they pay for standard disposable syringes. To offset the cost
difference, WHO is asking donors to cover the “transition to these
devices,” believing that the
3
Nitrile Gloves and Surgical Gloves
The
world's first biodegradable work glove contains an additive called
nitrile that accelerates the time it takes the glove to self-destruct
through decomposition. Nitrile attracts bacteria in landfills. As a
result of their consumption of the additive, the bacteria excrete
enzymes that break the polymer into the individual molecules, or
monomers, of which it is made. Biogas and nitrous soil result. The
decomposition process is completed within one year to five years,
rather than the decades it would take otherwise.
Self-destructive surgical gloves
Surgical gloves can also self-destruct, tearing apart, so they cannot be used
again. The gloves' designers, Park Bomin, Jung Sumi, and Chu Yuenho
devised the self-destructing gloves to prevent hospital contamination
and the spread of disease. When it is removed, “a tab cuts through
the glove,” causing irreparable damage, and the highly visible cut
indicates that the glove should not be used.
2
Trees and Crops
Self-destructing trees and crops
Converted
into fuel, trees become energy sources. However, to obtain their
energy-rich compounds, the trees' lignin (the complex organic polymer
in their cell walls that makes them rigid and woody and provides them
their support) must be extracted, because lignin “glues” the
cells together. Previously, the process for removing lignin was
expensive, requiring intense heat and caustic chemicals. Now,
American and Canadian scientists cause lignin to self-destruct. As a
result, it should be much cheaper to convert trees' biomass into
biofuels. By adding ferulic acid to lignin's other “building
blocks,” researchers have caused weaker bonds to form among them.
With “building blocks” paired with one another “throughout”
the polymer, Science reporter Robert F. Service says, the
lignin should break apart when it is “ground up and subjected to a
mild base at 100o C.” Although “the newly
bioengineered plants and trees must still be field tested,” Service
adds, they could save biofuel production companies a fortune.
The
same process has the additional benefits of making paper easier and
more cheaply obtainable from trees and of reducing environmentalpollution.
Genetically modified organisms
Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) can have advantages over natural organisms.
For example, some genetically engineered plants are more resistant to
heat and drought and, as such, may offset the effects of climate
change. However, GMOs also pose problems, one of which is that they
take over indigenous crops, thereby reducing “genetic diversity.”
To prevent such a scenario, Yale and Harvard bioengineers have
devised a way of making sure bioengineered plants can live only in
selected environments. They've modified the GMOs to make them rely on
a synthetic amino acid unavailable outside their designated
environment. The synthetic amino acid might be delivered through a
specially formulated fertilizer. As a result of this approach,
outside the selected environment, seeds would not be able to live,
because they wouldn't receive the synthetic amino acid.
1
Book
James Patterson's self-destructing novel, Private Vegas
In
addition, as part of the novel's promotion, Patterson is “giving
away 1,000 self-destructing digital advance copies” of his novel.
Recipients have 24 hours to finish reading the books. After that, the
text disappears.'”
To
make readers' experience even more thrilling, the book comes “with
a countdown clock at the top of the screen.” As they read, they can
keep track of the page they're on and remain aware, down to the last
second, of how much longer they have until the text self-destructs.
Patterson sees the publicity as a way of competing with the other
entertainment media that vie for consumers' dollars. “Publishing,
in my opinion, needs to get out there competing with everything else
in the world—movies, television, etc. etc.,” he said.
No comments:
Post a Comment