DARPA | Fast Company

This Week In Bots: Saluting The First President Of The Robot Epoch

BY Kit Eaton | 05-25-2012 | 3:37 PM | INNOVATION

In January of 2013, robots will be more political than ever. Probably also cuter.READ MORE›

A Cyborg Snail That Is A Tiny Power Plant

BY Katharine Gammon | 04-13-2012 | 11:30 AM | SNAIL

Scientists have created a biofuel cell that lives inside a snail. It’s not just to be a mad scientist--the snail’s electricity can be used to power tiny video cameras. The next snail you see might be a spy. READ MORE›

This Week In Bots: Robots, They're Just Like Us!

BY Kit Eaton | 03-23-2012 | 4:45 PM | INNOVATION

Robots that shave your head, operate on you, and even resemble you (or possibly R2). Plus, the Navy's "Hunger Games" robot test arena.READ MORE›

Yahoo Sues Facebook, Twitter Acquires Posterous, Dugan Leaves DARPA For Google

BY Nidhi Subbaraman | 03-13-2012 | 5:57 AM | INNOVATION

Breaking news from your editors at Fast Company, with updates all day.READ MORE›

DARPA Unveils Drone-Slaying War Laser

BY Neal Ungerleider | 03-08-2012 | 9:30 AM | INNOVATION

A weapon that used to be the size of a passenger jet now fits on the back of a flatbed truck. (Shark mounting apparatus sold separately.)READ MORE›

The Lens Of The Future Sees Much More Than What's In Front Of You

BY Andrew Price | 02-10-2012 | 12:06 PM | INNOVEGA

Though the original applications are for soldiers in battle, these augmented reality contact lenses could change medicine, education, and countless other fields. READ MORE›

Human Lie Detector Paul Ekman Decodes The Faces Of Depression, Terrorism, And Joy

BY Kevin Randall | 12-14-2011 | 8:12 AM | MAGAZINE

Since he experienced tragedy at age of 14, the real-life psychologist who inspired the show "Lie To Me" has searched for signs of hidden human emotion in faces. New applications based on his findings are getting attention from Apple, Pixar, Google, the Army, and others. READ MORE›

An X-Ray Machine The Size Of An iPhone That Looks Like A Star Trek Tricorder

BY Neal Ungerleider | 12-08-2011 | 1:13 PM | TECHNOLOGY

California startup Tribogenics is betting that their technology will transform health care--and investors seem to agree.READ MORE›

Going To War With Animal-Inspired Tech

BY Nikhil Swaminathan | 11-18-2011 | 12:07 PM | OFFICE OF NAVAL RESEARCH

The military will look for innovations and advantages anywhere, including the natural world. From using artificial hummingbirds for surveillance to making body armor like snails make their shells, nature is providing inspiration for ... READ MORE›

This Week In Bots: Some Pop, Some Lock, Some Move Robotic

BY Kit Eaton | 11-18-2011 | 8:35 AM | INNOVATION

Robots dancing, robots running, robots snaking, robot actors acting out, and robots...controlling humans. Scared? Don't be!READ MORE›

DARPA Is After Your Password

BY Neal Ungerleider | 11-16-2011 | 11:18 AM | TECHNOLOGY

The tech arm of the U.S. Department of Defense believes that even the most secure password is insecure--and that the future of account security will be biometric analysis of your typing style.READ MORE›

New Unmanned Drone Fits In The Palm Of A Hand

BY Neal Ungerleider | 11-14-2011 | 3:11 PM | ETHONOMICS

One of the smallest unmanned drones in the world has the diameter of a Frisbee, fits in the palm of a hand, and looks like a miniature Star Wars X-wing. The SQ-4 UAV isn't just a tiny surveillance vehicle; it's also on the cutting edge of the new wave of nanodrones.READ MORE›

This Genius Energy Agency Will Change American Power

BY Morgan Clendaniel | 11-02-2011 | 7:44 AM | DARPA

ARPA-E is modeled after DARPA and financing one groundbreaking energy innovation after another. Arun Majumdar, the agency's director, talks about some of the projects it's funding, from biofuels grown on electrodes to air conditioners ... READ MORE›

DARPA's Plan To Harvest Space Junk For New Satellites

BY Ariel Schwartz | 10-25-2011 | 7:26 PM | ETHONOMICS

There is a lot of useful material in otherwise dead space junk. Now the military's wing of crazy, cool geniuses is going to build mini-satellites to go get it out. Recycling goes space age. READ MORE›

Siri-ously DARPA

BY Adam L. Penenberg | 10-04-2011 | 10:27 PM | INNOVATION

Apple's voice-control technology for its upcoming iPhone 4S was spun out of DARPA.READ MORE›

Regina Dugan's Innovative Strategy For DARPA

BY Adam L. Penenberg | 10-03-2011 | 12:09 PM | CAREERS

DARPA director Regina Dugan is bringing speed and creative thinking to the Pentagon.READ MORE›

How The Department Of Energy Plans To Wean The U.S. Off Rare Earth Metals

BY Ariel Schwartz | 09-30-2011 | 12:26 PM | ETHONOMICS

The DOE's latest round of funding focuses on finding alternatives to rare earth metals, which are found in everything from wind turbines to computer hard drives.READ MORE›

100 Year Starship Takes The Long View Of Interstellar Travel

BY Michael J. Coren | 08-01-2011 | 2:44 PM | ETHONOMICS

NASA and DARPA are combining forces to create a program that will have humans traveling to Alpha Centauri in 100 years. It's just a question of motivating multiple generations of scientists to work on a project they will never see completed.READ MORE›

How NASA, DARPA Are Keeping Kids Interested In Space

BY Kit Eaton | 06-20-2011 | 12:33 PM | INNOVATION

NASA is considering student-designed experiments for its SPHERES robots, the best of which will get tested aboard the International Space Station. How's that for good PR?READ MORE›

Facebook, Google, Yahoo Join Forces To Fix The Internet's Biggest Problem In Decades

BY Austin Carr | 06-07-2011 | 11:35 AM | INNOVATION

Imagine if the world ran out of phone numbers. "That's a similar situation that we're in on the Internet," says Facebook's Donn Lee, pointing out that the web's billions of IP addresses are about to hit its max.READ MORE›