> I don't think you can confine the energy you're talking about in the space of a USB stickIt is very much possible to incinerate a chip die within a compact, hermetically-sealed container without releasing smoke or other tell-tale signs. The US and other wealthy nations' armies use self-contained modules like this in their encrypted radio equipment.
Plus, if you need more room, you can mimic an external USB hard drive rather than a keychain drive.
> I'm just trying to explain to you the seriousness of what you're proposing
It is true that if your handiwork produces smoke, flame, noise, etc. I do not envy your fate. If it happens during arrest, the police might even shoot you. But if, on the other hand, nothing suspicious is seen when your equipment is seized, and weeks later detectives discover a few grams of molten slag where an EEPROM chip should be, I doubt you will be tried for having set off an illicit bomb.
You will still go to jail. A reason will be found to put you there - it isn't hard. "Give me six lines written by the most honest man..."
Perhaps it only makes sense to rehearse and plan for this data-destruction scenario if you possess secrets that remain important apart from any criminal case against you.
> If you wanted to productize such a device would you be able to get Underwriters' Laboratories to (UL) to safety certify it for use in the home?
This is very much the wrong question to ask.
Something like this can never become a consumer product. The government would never permit it to be openly sold, regardless of any safety considerations.
If you view law enforcement officials as your enemy, using unmodified off-the-shelf equipment, regardless of its rarity and expense, is simply stupid. Back doors are a near-certainty. And the only way I know of to securely and unambiguously wipe large amounts of data on short notice is combustion.