Michael Belfiore’s “The Department of Mad Scientists”

Published by clickbroker.blogspot.com.

Michael Belfiore’s book “The Department of Mad Scientists”, subtitled “How DARPA Is Remaking Our World, from the Internet to Artificial Limbs” tells the story of the quasi independent Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. DARPA was started during the Eisenhower years as a fast moving effort to respond to Russia’s first satellite launch. Our civilian space agency was floundering and the military effort while progressing was under political fire.

When the political winds determined that space should be nonmilitary to benefit the entire world, the forerunner to NASA was born. DARPA survived, but had to find its life’s purpose. DARPA’s early progress as the employee-light pragmatic coordinator defined its culture in future years.

The original director and project managers only agreed to two year terms. What followed was fixed term limits of three to five years, with the termination dates posted on project managers badges. This created urgency for great thinkers to prototype their ideas in short order.

DARPA directors sought project managers that were way out thinkers rather than simply great engineers and scientists. Scientists might be able to think what is possible outside of current technological constraints, but DARPA was not afraid to consult with and hire science fiction writers for totally unconstrained ideas.

DARPA’s function evolved to prove the unthinkable was possible and put a rush on it. The likes of General Electric (GE), Boeing (BA), academia and garage scientists could be contracted for technical research and prototyping. Then the prototypes could be handed off to companies, such as Intuitive Surgical (ISRG) in 1999, to find venture capital and develop military and civilian products.

DARPA thinking is for what is deemed impossible, not the technology to get there. This led to internet and GUI mouse when they were the first to consider the importance of how computers interact with people. The first real graphical user interface was demoed to an astonished convention of computer scientist in 1968.

In the 1970’s DARPA sponsored experimentation in extrasensory perception (ESP) for “divining Soviet military secrets.” It seems everything short of astrology was fair game.

In 2005, DARPA took another stab at automated surgery with the military Trauma Pod. The Trauma Pad took the da Vinci Surgical System concept of human guided surgery to a field pod that automated all of doctor and nurses’ tasks, stabilizing the soldier while being airlifted to a medical facility.

DARPA’s focus and funding has been influenced to a limited degree by the political winds. Reagan wanted missile defense and mach 25 civilian and military air travel. Clinton quietly changed direction, but many of the initial prototypes continued to be enhanced. The important thing is DARPA’s culture has not changed through multiple presidencies.

Disclosure: Author is long GE.

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