DARPA develops machine that can detect threats
As technology companies struggle to find the best way to incorporate augmented reality technology into new products, the U.S.’s Defense Advanced Research Project Agency (DARPA) is taking augmented reality to a new level. DARPA is a division of the Department of Defense, responsible for the research and development of new technologies. The agency has been behind most of the technological advances that have been seen in the U.S. over the past several decades and has made a name for itself in its focus on future technology and fringe sciences. With an astonishing technological pedigree, the agency has now set its sights on augmented reality.
Machine reads visual information from the brain to predict possible threats
DARPA has created a machine that is capable of scanning the human brain and tag visual events before they reach the level of consciousness. This machine is part of the agency’s Cognitive Technology Threat Warning System, and is meant to serve as an early warning device in war. The project’s ultimate goal is to provide warfighters with the ability to accurately and reliable predict threats that may be facing soldiers. The endeavor is based on the premise of linking the brain with technology.
P-300 brainwave the subject of DARPA research
DARPA researchers suggest that the brain is capable of detecting threats before a person actually registers what the brain is trying to tell them. When the brain detects a threat, it releases the P-300 brainwave, a signal that is believed to stimulate evaluation and categorization of events and a person’s surroundings. DARPA’s machine can track this brainwave and decipher what it is trying to accomplish and why. Researchers then claim this information can be reflected as visual data.
DARPA takes augmented reality away from its traditional definition
Researchers have taken to likening the process to augmented reality, though admit that the traditional definition of augmented reality is not necessarily fitting. For lack of a better term, however, it will have to suffice. DARPA’s work in this field could well unlock a future of augmented reality that has only been touched upon in fiction.
