Smart Chip off the Block

By the time you get to work in the morning, chances are you’ve come in contact with more than 17 examples of Digital DNA.

It’s in your microwave, sensing when food is done by the moisture in the air, and it’s in your television remote control, allowing you to channel surf all you want during commercials.

Digital DNA is an embedded microprocessor, a smart computer chip. It has been around for more than 20 years, but Motorola, the world’s largest producer, wants people to wake up and take notice.

“People are concerned about technology taking over their lives.” said Tom Lantzsch, vice president of marketing for Motorola’s semiconductor sector. “But we wanted to help them understand it, because these chips enable a lot of things people take for granted.”

The result is the Digital DNA awareness campaign. The smart chips are called Digital DNA to connect them to human uniqueness--not because the chips contain real DNA, Lantzsch said. Not yet, at least.