Top 10 Mind-Blowing DARPA Projects That Will Change the World

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency is busy producing the military technology of the future. Here are ten of their top projects.

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, or DARPA, essentially has one purpose, to churn out the next generation of military technology. Here are DARPA's top ten futuristic projects:
10. Meet the GXV-T, a next-generation armored vehicle which the agency intends to be "mobile, effective, safe and affordable." This go-kart-looking contraption features the promise of extreme speed coupled with the ability to traverse 95% of terrain. 

9. Next up is the Anti-Submarine Warfare Continuous Trail Unmanned Vessel. This program aims to create an entirely novel form of seafaring; one where not a single crew member is needed to travel across hundreds of miles of open water at a time. 

8. At number eight is the Vertical Takeoff and Landing Experimental Plane. This program's goal is to combine fixed-wing and rotary-wing technologies as well as major upgrades in cruising and vertical flight capabilities.

7. DARPA's Airborne Launch Assist Space Access program intends to take some of the waiting out of satellite launches. The program's goals are to ensure "more affordable, flexible and reliable access to space," via the ability to send large payloads into low Earth orbit for less than $1 million per launch. 

6. Sticking with space, say hello the Experimental Spaceplane, or XS-1 program. The goal here is to create an unmanned vehicle that can deliver small satellites into orbit time and time again using expendable upper stages while the plane itself returns unharmed. 

5. At number five is DARPA's Extreme Accuracy Tasked Ordnance, or EXACTO program. EXACTO promises the first ever guided .50-caliber bullets. The specialized ammunition is helped along by a real-time guidance program that accounts for various factors as the bullets reach their target. 

4. Speaking of reach, take a look at DARPA's DEKA Arm System. In the video, one Mr. Fred Downs is able to perform a common task while wearing the highly-advanced prosthetic arm. 

3. Cyborgs may be the stuff of science fiction, but DARPA aims to change all that with number three on the list. The Obama administration's Brain Initiative features eight different projects intended to enhance human physical and cognitive function--including an implant that connects human brains to computers. 

2. Next up is DARPA's Fast Lightweight Autonomy program. This initiative aims at creating a series of drones that can effectively fly through space-constrained environments--at up to 45 miles per hour. These could be a great boon for exploring places humans can't go.

1. Rounding out the list at number one is DARPA's Mission Adaptive Rotor Robotic Landing Gear program. The automated legs bend up and fold during flight. And with the use of sensors located in each foot, each leg is able to determine the angle necessary in order to keep the helicopter level.