An example of the "transient electronic" system that DARPA is hoping to develop DARPA
Pentagon Wants to Develop Electronics That Can Vaporize
DARPA is trying to make battlefield electronic systems 'capable of physically disappearing in a controlled, triggerable manner.' By Bob Brewin
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency awarded BAE Systems Advanced Technologies a $4.5 million contract last week to develop battlefield electronic systems “capable of physically disappearing in a controlled, triggerable manner.”
The DARPA Vanishing Programmable Resources program -- VAPR -- aims to eliminate electronics, such as sensors, that end up scattered around a battlefield and become easy pickings for an enemy.
DARPA plans to use VAPR to develop such here today, gone tomorrow “transient electronics” with a focus on sensors with RF links. Such a system might be used to sense environmental or biomedical conditions and communicate with a remote user.
This sure sounds like the ultimate in planned obsolescence. Just think what it could do to drive smartphone sales.