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TOP TEN DARPA INVENTIONS


The following are a list of 10 DARPA inventions that have been listed as some of the greatest projects of the Defence Advance Research Projects Agency (DARPA). While some of these inventions have been a roaring success, some others are those that have to be watched out for.

1. The Internet

One of the greatest DARPA inventions is the internet. The whole world uses the internet which is used to connect with people in all parts of the world. In 1975, DARPA declared the internet project a success and the Defense Communications Agency took over its management. By 1980 most of today’s protocols such as TCP and IP were stable, and applied throughout ARPANET by 1983.

2. GPS

The global positioning system is another great DARPA invention. It is basically a precise positioning and navigation tool. Today the uses of GPS have

encompassed both the commercial and the scientific worlds

.

3. Speech translation

Real time interpersonal communication via natural spoken language between people who do not have a common language is made possible through this great invention of DARPA. It helped break communication barriers existing among people worldwide.

4. Stealth planes

This is another great invention of DARPA. Stealth aircraft make use of stealth technology to impede with radar detection and employ other methods to reduce visibility in th

e audio, visual and radio frequency spectrum. The development of this technology evolved in Germany during WWII.

5. Gallium arsenide

It was found that arsenic can be used for other purposes such as even to operate electronic items. However due to its environmental dangers this may not last long

.

6. Switchblade

Through its Switchblade program, DARPA has started encouraging the use of unmanned aerial vehicles. The $10.3-million project involves a bizarre design.

7. Exoskeletons

The DARPA is funding a US$50 million project known as “Exoskeletons for Human Performance Augmentation”. This program is expected to encourage the development of actively controlled exoskeletons that help larger weapons to be carried, provide better protection from enemy attacks and allow the wearer to be active for a longer time by carrying more food and supplies for war.

8. Robot Cars

This can become another great creation of DARPA. DARPA is in the process of creating driverless cars or robot cars capable of traversing long distances even through busy traffic and bad road conditions. Some of these vehicles have been produced already thanks to its competitions. The robot cars can be seen with radars, antennas and lasers com

peting in the races.

9. Z-man

This project by DARPA is expected to enable soldiers to scale walls vertically sans ropes or ladders at high speed. DARPA also has hopes to extend this technology to humans. DARPA drew its inspiration for this program from the technique used by small creatures such as spiders, geckos and other tiny animals to scale vertical surfaces. This program aims at building synthetic versions of these material systems and using them as a new aid for climbing for use by humans.

10. Underwater Express

This program is expected to controlled and stable underwater high speed transport through supercavitation. This occurs when an object moves quickly so that it can vaporize the water around it into a single enveloping bubble. To reach amazing speeds, the vehicle has to use the process of supercavitation by which a bubble of gas is generated around an object which helps to reduce drag and and makes high speed underwater transport possible