The Department of Mad Scientists: How DARPA Is Remaking Our World, from the Internet to Artificial Limbs [Paperback]

From Smithsonian Books,The Department of Mad Scientistsis the first trade book ever on DARPA—the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency—the maverick and controversial agency whose futuristic work has had amazing military and civilian application, from the Internet to GPS to driverless cars. Michael Belfiore, author ofRocketeers, visited science research sites across the country to provide this unprecedented look at the people who shape our country’s future technology.US

America's greatest idea factory isn't Bell Labs, Silicon Valley, or MIT's Media Lab. It's the secretive, Pentagon-led agency known as DARPA. Founded by Eisenhower in response to Sputnik and the Soviet space program, DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) mixes military officers with sneaker-wearing scientists, seeking paradigm-shifting ideas in varied fields—from energy, robotics, and rockets to doctorless operating rooms, driverless cars, and planes that can fly halfway around the world in just a few hours.

Michael Belfiore was given unpre-cedented access to write this first-ever popular account of DARPA.The Department of Mad Scientistscontains material that has barely been reported in the general media—in fact, only 2 percent of Americans know much of anything about the agency. But as this fascinating read demonstrates, DARPA isn't so much frightening as it is inspiring—it is our future.

A fascinating introduction to a veritable pantheon of geek gods who quietly shaped the face of modern technology. -Daniel H. Wilson, roboticist and author of How to Survive a Robot Uprising

If you want to know who really invented the Internet, or how brain waves can control robotic limbs, or how smart cars will become brilliant, this is your book. A must-read for those interested in invention in the modern age -Joe Pappalardo, Popular Mechanics

[DARPAs] history has never been told atlS#