The Human Resistance Report

DARPA – The Defense Advanced Research Project Agency, has held the reputation of producing some of the most advanced technologies on the planet. They have long been the go to guys when the government needs some new mind-blowing technology and they need it stat. These are the think tanks that crank science out of science fiction. Every now and then we here about some new project that DARPA is working on – usually something that sounds implausible, and yet by the time we hear about it , they usually already have working prototypes. But what about the projects we don’t hear about? There is a staggering volume of groundbreaking projects and experiments going on in those labs and suprisingly, many of them are posted on their website. If this is just the stuff they let us see, I would love to see what they are not showing us.

Until we can get our hands on that list, here is a list of 20 programs in place right now that will usher us into the next generation of smart hardware.

1. Chemical Robots

Just the name conjures up images of chemical vials filled with microscopic, liquid based robots. I can only imagine the conversation when they requested this to be researched. This project goal is to “create a new class of soft, flexible, mesoscale mobile objects that can identify and maneuver through openings smaller than their dimensions and perform various tasks.” In other words, picture the freaky movies where the monster flattens itself and slides under the door to get to you. Yeah – its kinda like that. Perhaps the conversation went something like this:

” Oh.. Hello there Col. Blankcheck, what can I build for your today?”
“Ever watch the movie The Blob?………….”

2. Chemical Communication

They describe this as a PDA that dispenses coded messages in chemical vials of some type. The idea is that you would enter the message via text, then lots of science and magic happen with chemicals and it encodes that data and ejects a disposable substrate for deployment. Very James Bond kind of stuff. So far the applications are for transmission of top secret info – but some day we may be dispensing these at the drive thru like disposable one time use credit cards, or maybe even dispense a song from an iPod style music device that you could hand to your friend that put in their music device. The applications for something like this are almost unlimited since communication is such a large part of today’s fast pace lifestyle. Chemical communication may even lead the way to neurotransmission telepathy.

3. Accelerated Learning

Anyone who has ever split their skull trying to learn some new and complicated subject could understand why we’ve been waiting for this for years. Plug a module into your head , and learn a new subject instantly. A four year degree in the time it takes download an mp3. OK. So maybe that’s not exactly how this program works, but this is what they hoping to achieve one day I’m sure. They are using a variety of techniques to help get information into soldiers’ heads quicker. This could ultimately help children learn better or even help learning disabled children and adults. It could also make on- the- job training a snap and even encourage people to learn something they never had the time to before, enabling them to change careers effortlessly. A doctor today… A pilot tomorrow. But will we ever be able to replicate actual experience, or the instincts we get from a gut feeling?

4. Polymer Ice

This is similar to black ice and works like in the spy movies where they spray something on the road during a car chase and it makes the road slippery. Of course the bad guys swerve all over the place until he crashes and hilarity ensues. Per their project website, “The polymer-based artificial ice material will achieve effective mobility control by the precise and reversible reduction of ground traction.” This particular “black ice” would be extremely slippery for enemy vehicles, but gets “instantaneous traction restoration on contact” when allied forces drive or walk over it. They could lay it down on the road and drive through it with no problems, but as soon as the enemy vehicle touches it , the vehicle will lose traction and spin out of control. Think of what this is going to do to street drag racing.

5. Programmable Matter

“The goal of Programmable Matter Program is to demonstrate a new functional form of matter, based on mesoscale particles, which can reversibly assemble into complex 3D objects upon external command” This is every fantasy about using nanotechnology to build something out seemingly thin air. Next stop: replicators.

6. Self Decontaminating Surface

This isn’t going to put window washers out of work any time soon, but this just might give bacteria the business. DARPA is hoping that a self decontamination will be useful for a range of applications including “coatings over chemical agent resistant coatings (CARC) and plasma deposited coatings for creating self-decontaminating surfaces on electronics.” Specifications also call for the surfaces to be self cleaning too. Now, If only everything could be made self cleaning.

7. Power Swim

They might have to race with NASA on this one . In this project , they are trying to improving “human powered swimming devices “ that are 80% efficient . “This dramatic improvement in swimming efficiency will enable subsurface swimmers to move up to two times faster than is currently possible, thus improving swimmer performance, safety, and range. “

8. Structural Amorphous Metals

I think they put it best when they say it is “Unlike conventional metals, structural amorphous metals are bulk metallic materials whose microstructures are non-crystalline, amorphous, or “glassy” in the solid state. “ These are a new class of materials that are produced at low cooling rates and produce a metal that seems like glass. “ Amorphous metals are NOT confined by limitations of crystalline materials, and as such, behave the opposite of conventional materials.” What that means for science really depends on what application you are using. Metal produced this way have the ability to combine different properties like hardness, strength, damage tolerance, and corrosion resistance and will “achieve combinations of mechanical properties that provide revolutionary improvements compared to those of comparable conventional alloys. Amorphous-composite hybrid materials that have the stiffness of beryllium and twice the strength will be demonstrated in space applications. Bulk amorphous alloys that have strength, fatigue, and corrosion properties better than titanium will be demonstrated in turbine applications.” Super strong, lightweight, corrosion resistant metal? I think it sells itself.

9. Molecular Electronics

Nano sized PCs will open the doors for a wide range of applications from reconnaissance to surgical and eventually will probably see their way into our everyday lives. The develops at DARPA appear to breaking” Moore’s Law” and attaining smaller circuitry with molecular switches and memory circuits the size of a single white blood cell. Some of the achievements in this study include “Innovations in drug delivery through nanoparticles, select gene knockout, and portable sensing and testing devices” and “Research in harvesting excess vibration energy from nanowires, and converting this energy into electricity. “ We cant wait to get this because as computers get smaller, everyday items are getting smarter and the sooner these micro circuits are available , you can be sure we sill see more of our product s getting a new life.

10. Real World

Everyone knows that the military gets all the best toys first. This is like their version of the coolest video game ever. They want to provide soldiers with the ability to conjure up any combat scenario from a laptop to run a simulation program. Developers want to be able to:

“Create 100 km(squared) per hour of highly realistic immersive 3-D representations of the air/land/sea mission space from ISR data for any tactical environment, generate one city block of geo-specific building interiors and exteriors , and realistically model the interaction of physical objects.”

All I know is that when this gets to XBOX, this is going to be one hell of an online MMO. I hope they make a Castle Wolfenstien version of this.

11. Human Assisted Neural Devices

Some of the best work in this area has come out of DARPA. This program specializes in technologies that “will enable the use of neural activity to provide closed loop control and restore natural function through assistive devices by directly harnessing the ability of neural pathways to operate natural systems, the HAND Program seeks to provide means of restoring the lives of injured war fighters”. The work they’ve done in this area, has been the foundation for other projects such as in interfacing humans and prosthetics. Technology like this will pave the way to a future where the loss of limbs not mean the loss of mobility or limited range of motion. Who wouldn’t want this technology perfected?

12. Restorative Injury Repair

This may turn out to be one their greatest achievements in improving the standard of living. Restorative injury repair being developed to “fully restore the function of complex tissue (muscle, nerves, skin, etc.)” and aims to study cell growth and a myriad of factors involved in the healing of “heat and chemical burns, blasts overpressure , musculoskeletal injuries, etc.” They plan to replace the current concepts of “wound coverage” by fibrosis and scarring with true “wound healing” by regeneration of fully differentiated, functional tissue. Basically, instead of scarring over, this would allow wounds to actually heal.. and restore all tissue and muscle, nerves, skin, etc. While currently slated to address traumatic injury on the battlefield, it’s easy to see a successful application of this being used in hospitals and in homes all over the world.

13. Revolutionizing Prosthetics

Amazing progress has been made in this department and we have now seen people controlling prosthetic devices with neurotransmitters ( their mind) and they are even improving the prosthetic device itself with more movable joints, higher range of motion more degrees of movement, and better dexterity.

14. Trauma pod

This portable field device would allow soldiers to be enclosed in the pod while robots perform complex medical procures via a Trauma Pod operations console. The Application also calls for it being able to perform CT scans and image reconstruction on a portable stretcher for early detection of life threatening injuries. This is another project that if successful would literally be a lifesaver that could be put to use by hospitals and emergency response teams everywhere.

15. Neo-vision

The robots will think for us someday. They will need to be able to identify and respond to their environment as well as we do. The concept behind this program is to develop a system that allows robots and other computer hardware to identify and recognize, categorize, and learn new objects with the same effortless speed as humans or animals. This is going to make it harder to run from them when they take over, but will help soldiers now as it will allow the computers to identify threats quicker, allowing its human counterparts to respond to changing conditions faster.

16. WASP program

There’s something unsettling about a swarm of robotic wasps equipped with cameras, GPS and infrared. Luckily, this project is not as scary as the name implies. These 14’ wingspan unmanned air vehicle is portable, can be backpacked in , and is only about a half pound. In other words, perfect for military applications. These would make the ultimate remote control – just as people are now using GPS to track down the stolen vehicle, their lost pets. We may send these out to scout for us personally, take the dog for a walk, monitor children remotely and whole host of other invasive civil rights violations disguised as protection.

17. Nano Air Vehicle

When you need to go in deep and stealthy – forget the WASP, this guy is your backdoor man. The little cousin to the WASP, these are only 7.g cm and is ultra light, weighing in at less than 10 grams. With advanced aerodynamic, long range communication, and efficient propulsion and power subsystems, this thing is not your everyday RC plane. It’s been designed for “indoor and outdoor sensor deployment.” Basically it will be planting bugs in on the enemy without being detected. A literal fly on the wall. Expect smaller versions of these to be common in the future. A network of these could give military commanders a real time view of battlefield conditions, affecting the decisions he makes with soldiers and military assets. These could help save a lot of lives by providing intel from targeted areas and allowing strategic planners to route soldiers out of harms way and catch enemy units off guard.

18. Nano-Composite Optical Ceramic

Nano windows. This sounds like something right out of the movies. From the way the project specifications read, it seems like they are developing windows that are shape shifting and can display in infrared. Sounds like they will be able to make windows out of materials that are not glass.. and still be able to see the enemy on the other side. If you don’t have a good enough view, the window can reshape itself to the right size or shape. This could enhance security on earth, or provide protection from fast moving objects astray in space. Unfortunately, this will probably not be legal for car tint.

19. Next Generation Carbon Fiber

If you’ve ever worked with or seen carbon fiber then you know that it is extraordinarily strong and ultra light weight. It is used in many military and commercial applications including rocket motors , and aircraft wings. The next generation of Carbon fiber is poised to use carbon nano tubes to achieve a 50% increase in strength and stiffness. While there will be many commercial applications that will benefit from this new super strong material, this may also be the ground work for the much talked about space elevator that requires materials stronger than any material on earth to sustain under the weight of itself.

20. Z- Man

Or Spiderman? I can’t wait till this rolls out to the public. This development is trying to attain the ability to climb walls the way in “which geckos, spiders, and small animals scale vertical surfaces”. So basically man is going to be able climb walls without ropes or ladders by “using unique biological material systems that enable controllable adhesion using Van der Waals Forces or by hooking surface asperities.” Yeah, but does it come with a web slinger?

BONUS PROGRAM
21. Mathematical Time Reversal

Possible Time travel?
Perhaps the most intriguing project of all – at first. This project conjures up all sorts of ideas as to what they have going on. But what is even more intriguing is the fact this is the only projected listed on their website that does not have a link to it. So it is secret… but not secret that they don’t want us to know they are working on it. DARPA has a history of making the seemingly impossible into reality. So, the fact that this is one of their projects is a tantalizing prospect for time travel. Oh wait , I just found out what Mathematical Time reversal really is. It’s not time travel and it’s not nearly as exciting its name would lead you to believe. Here is a non DARPA link that discusses what it is. I’m not going to lie, I don’t completely understand the technology behind it, but the site says that they are “studying applications in wireless communications, target detection and imaging using active arrays and its response matrix.” It sounds very complicated, so it must be important.

Many of these projects are already well under way and some even completed and being deployed for public use. While the technology that comes out of these labs is mind-blowing, it is sometimes a little scary, when you consider the potential that they have for abuse. Man cannot help but to be fascinated by innovation and DARPA certainly delivers. I just hope that we don’t find these marvelous new enhancements in the wrong hands and put to use against us.