The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) gets a ton of funding to develop the science and technological future of the military.
This is the agency responsible for GPS, the internet and stealth planes. They're the real deal.
We looked at their active projects to find the ones that might have massive civilian implications if they eventually produce real-world tech.
Last round, we focused on the Defense Science Office and their Information Innovation Office. This time, we're looking at DARPA's Microsystems Technology Office, which is researching the next age of computing technology.
Excalibur is an operational laser gun
The Defense Department is always worried about the use of conventional weapons in urban warfare. The risk lies in confining the damage to enemies and their weapons and avoiding collateral damage.
That — among other reasons — is why the Department of Defense really, really wants a laser weapon. DARPA plans to give it to them.
The Excalibur program is developing laser weapons that are ten times lighter than existing combat lasers. They're practically handheld. Eventually, DARPA wants to enable 100 kilowatt devices used in precision strikes against ground and air targets.
A way to scrub blood just like in dialysis, but to remove an infection
As it stands, blood infections impacted more than 1,500 servicemembers in 2009 alone.
DARPA is developing a portable device that will remove contaminated blood from the body, remove harmful agents, and return the "clean" blood to the body, similar in style to the way dialysis machines remove toxins from patients' blood.
The researchers are well aware of the civilian implications. DARPA claims that the eventual device could save "thousands of lives and billions of dollars in the United States annually."
DARPA plans to build the portable device beginning in Fall, 2012.
Nanobots in the human body to monitor a person's health
While externally monitoring for disease is important, DARPA is working on an inside way to find out if someone is sick.
The In Vivo Nanoplatforms program is trying to develop classes of nanoparticles to sense and treat illness, disease, and infection on the inside.
The tech involves implantable nanoparticles which sense specific molecules of biological interest. DARPA is working on a complete system demonstration in a large animal.
See the rest of the story at Business Insider
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