Founded by Eisenhower in response to Sputnik and the Soviet space race, DARPA mixes military officers with sneaker-wearing scientists, seeking paradigm-shifting thinking in a wide variety of fields -- from energy, robotics, and rockets, to people-less operating rooms, driverless cars, and planes that can fly halfway around the world in just hours. DARPA gave birth to the Internet, GPS, and mind controlled robotic arms. Its geniuses define future technology for the military and the rest of us. Michael Belfiore was given unprecedented access to write this first ever general account of DARPA. He visited research sites across the country, watching scientists in action, and talking to the creative, fearlessly ambitious visionaries working for and with DARPA. --from publisher description

Details the efforts of DARPA--the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency--a maverick and controversial agency whose futuristic work has had an amazing military and civilian application, from driverless cars to GPS to mind-controlled robotic limbs, in a book by the author of Rocketeers.

Includes bibliographical references (p. 259-281) and index.

An arm and a leg A special-projects agency The intergalactic computer network The robot will see you now

Backseat drivers Crazy-ass things The final frontier Power to the people.