Article

Can this bug make an ATM more secure?

In Zurich, researchers are developing self-defense technology for ATMs using a bit of genius from the insect world.

April 14, 2014 by Suzanne Cluckey — Owner, Suzanne Cluckey Communications

That little guy to the left? He's a bombardier beetle. And you do not mess with a bombardier beetle. He might be just a half-inch long, but this bug has the most aggressive chemical defense in nature.

Researchers in Switzerland think it's a defense that might be perfect for the ATM.

Here's how it works: When threatened, the bombardier beetle spews a corrosive spray on his attacker to kill or disable it. And he mixes up this toxic, scalding-hot concoction himself. In a "reaction chamber" at the back end of the beetle, two chemicals are mixed and combined with enzymes to activate an explosion.

"When you see how elegantly nature solves problems, you realize that the world of technology is often bogged down," said Wendelin Stark January, professor at the ETH Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences in Zurich. With inspiration from the bombardier beetle, January and his team developed their own explosive self-defense mechanism for ATMs — and just about any other object that needs protection from physical attack. "Wherever something should not be touched, a use would be possible," Stark said.

The 'self-defending' surface

To create their "self-defending" surface, researchers used plastic sheets with a honeycomb pattern. The cavities in one sheet were filled with hydrogen peroxide, while those in the second sheet were filled with manganese dioxide.

The sheets were then coated with lacquer and sandwiched between sheets of glass. When subjected to a violent blow, the honeycomb layers are fractured, the hydrogen peroxide mixes with the manganese dioxide — and boom! — an explosion of water vapor, oxygen and heat. It's not enough to kill or disable a person, but at a temperature of up to 80 degrees Celsius (176 F), it might dissuade him from finishing the job.

Chemical beats mechanical

The newly developed film could be particularly well suited for the protection of ATMs or cash transports, the researchers wrote in their paper, which was published in the Journal of Materials Chemistry A. 

Euro banknote dyed blue by the self- defending surface (front and back).

Of course, there are already protective devices with which money robbers and certificates can be sprayed. But these are mechanical systems, said Stark.

"A mini-engine is set in motion when it receives a signal from a sensor. This takes power, is prone to failure and expensive." Stark said the goal of his research group is to replace complicated control systems with clever materials.

For the protection of cash boxes, the researchers added dye and nanoparticles wrapped in DNA to the mix. If the film is destroyed, the dye devalues the marked money and the DNA allows the notes to be traced. Laboratory experiments with 5-euro notes showed that the method works. 

And the costs are reasonable, the researchers write — about 40 dollars per square meter of film.

photos: ETH Zurich

About Suzanne Cluckey

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Suzanne’s editorial career has spanned three decades and encompassed all B2B and B2C communications formats. Her award-winning work has appeared in trade and consumer media in the United States and internationally.