In case you can’t wait for your flash memory to die from write cycling, TeamGroup now has a drive that, via software or hardware, can destroy its own flash chips with a surge of voltage. If you wonder why you might want this, there are military applications where how you destroy a piece of equipment is right up there in the manual with how to use it.

They have obviously put a lot of thought into it, as you can see in the video below. Apparently, if you are in the middle of blowing up the flash and power cuts out, the chip will resume frying itself when you restore power.

According to reports, the chip takes about ten seconds and, Mission Impossible style, it emits smoke as it takes itself out.

So, the obvious question for you is: what would you build with such a thing? A place to store your passwords? Or your cooked accounting? The security revolves around you telling it to destroy itself. That’s fine if you have time.

But we wonder how useful this would be against a motivated adversary. After all, you could unplug it and plug it into something else that doesn’t know how to send the “fry yourself” command. Then don’t push the button. It seems like it would be better to require a challenge/response with a cryptography key and, without it, you fry yourself after a certain number of failures. Or are we just paranoid?

Not the first time this has come up, by the way. Maybe these will be the new way to distribute protected media.

youtube.com/embed/SGzQIzuuvXI?…

hackaday.com/2025/07/16/this-s…

Brunnian links are a type of nontrivial link – or knot – where multiple linked loops become unlinked if a single loop is cut or removed. Beyond ‘fun’ disentanglement toys and a tantalizing subject of academic papers on knot theory, it can also be used for practical applications, as demonstrated by [Anthony Francis-Jones] in a recent video. In it we get a safe that is locked with multiple padlocks, each of which can unlock and open the safe by itself.

This type of locked enclosure is quite commonly used in military and other applications where you do not want to give the same key to each person in a group, yet still want to give each person full access. After taking us through the basics of Brunnian links, including Borromean rings, we are introduced to the design behind the safe with its six padlocks.

As a demonstration piece it uses cheap luggage padlocks and Perspex (acrylic) rods and sheets to give a vibrant and transparent view of its workings. During the assembly it becomes quite apparent how it works, with each padlock controlling one direction of motion of a piece, each of which can be used to disassemble the entire locking mechanism and open the safe.

Brunnian links are also found in the braids often made by children out of elastic bands, which together with this safe can be used to get children hooked on Brunnian links and general knot theory.

youtube.com/embed/81H6bVd0I14?…

hackaday.com/2025/07/16/openin…

Quality 3D printing is a common hobbyist tool nowadays, and [wontonnn]’s mini arcade car racing game really shows off how 3D printing can bring parts from functional to fantastic. There are quite a few details we like in [wontonn]’s design, so let’s take a closer look.

The mini mechanical game is one of those treadmill-based car racing games in which the player navigates a little car between an onslaught of belt-borne obstacles. A little DC motor spins things up in a modular side assembly, and a hand-cranked option is available. The player’s car attaches via a magnet to a steering arm; if the player’s car gets knocked off the magnet, game over.

Treadmill belt segments print as large pre-assembled pieces, with ends that snap together without connectors. Belts like this are sometimes tricky, so this is worth keeping in mind should one ever need a similar part. Since there are no external fasteners or hardware to depend on, one could resize it easily to suit their own project purposes.

The finishing touches on the whole assembly look great. It used to be that the sort of colors and lettering seen here would come from a sticker or label, but [wontonn] gets clean lines and colors by raising (or sinking) different parts of the design. The checkerboard pattern, for example, has the light squares raised for printing in a different color.

Electromechanical arcade games have an appeal all their own, being a fusion of both mechanical and electric design that comes together in a special way. Want to make your own? Get inspired by the classic Lunar Lander reimagined, or check out this LEGO treadmill racer that takes an entirely different approach to the concept.

youtube.com/embed/O_E6rC1JlwA?…

hackaday.com/2025/07/16/mini-c…

This week Jonathan and Katherine talk with Jamie Abrahams about Drupal, and how AI just makes sense. No, really. Jamie makes a compelling case that Drupal is a really good tool for building AI workflows. We cover security, personal AI, and more!

• drupal.org/u/yautja_cetanu
• drupal.org/project/ai
• freelygive.io/

youtube.com/embed/dnKFN6eIJ5I?…

Did you know you can watch the live recording of the show right on our YouTube Channel? Have someone you’d like us to interview? Let us know, or contact the guest and have them contact us! Take a look at the schedule here.

play.libsyn.com/embed/episode/…

Direct Download in DRM-free MP3.

If you’d rather read along, here’s the transcript for this week’s episode.

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Theme music: “Newer Wave” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License

hackaday.com/2025/07/16/floss-…