The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has announced a competition to develop an implantable biosensor
Injected under the skin, the sensor is thought to be able to accurately measure critical parameters of the soldier's body in real time, including levels of cortisol (a stress hormone), histamine and other signaling substances associated with the immune system's response to toxins.
It is clear that the benefits of such implants are great. A military doctor can have access to the most accurate information about a soldier's health right in the middle of explosions and gunfire. And in a quieter environment, you do not have to worry about collecting samples and methods of transporting them to the laboratory for analysis, you do not need to think about the possibility of losing a transporter with all analyzes at once. After all, for a soldier every minute counts, and there may be no one to retake tests. But not only doctors, commanders and soldiers themselves will be able to learn a lot of useful and new things. So, the bosses will monitor the readings of the endocrine system, that is, they will understand how much the transfer and the chosen schedule of physical training for each and every one.
And the data on chronic inflammation, obtained by the level of histamine, can free the poor fellow from further service in the "fur seals". Moreover, such markers can be used to judge how a soldier gets enough sleep or how much the chosen diet is beneficial to his physical development.
Of course, the biosensor is just the very latest idea spoken out loud. DARPA is already working on biomarker projects that can show how vitamins and minerals from food are absorbed. And part of another program that aims to give each soldier the best possible physical shape is a study on the influence of genes on innate physical abilities. In this work, DARPA attempts to manipulate cellular mitochondria to raise the body's level of energy supply.
It is obvious that the biosensor alone will not make the soldier stronger, harder, smarter. But DARPA understands that such a sensor can provide all the information necessary for a fighter to have every opportunity to become a "super soldier", and this is without irony.
Just throwing a cry, DARPA received several impressive proposals for the development of the project in the United States. For example, a team from Clemenson University, which already has financial support from the Pentagon, cautiously suggested starting with the development of a sensor that, if implanted for at least a short time, would track the condition of the wounded. Another group, from Tufts University, believes the biosensor should be made from silk, which "will be easier to implant into the body."
In fact, biocompatibility is considered one of the most fundamental issues to be thought of from the outset. No matter how good a biosensor is, no matter what functions it has, it still won't measure anything if it is “squeezed out” by surrounding tissues. Therefore, it is quite natural that one of the main requirements of DARPA is high biocompatibility, so that you don't have to rewire the sensor every time it wants to go outside.
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