DARPA is developing a new robotic medical concept capable of navigating within the human body to locate traumatic injuries and apply immediate treatment, offering injured soldiers on the battlefield a greater chance of survival before evacuation to hospital care.
The initiative, known as Medics Autonomously Stopping Hemorrhage, or MASH, employs artificial intelligence to direct advanced sensing technologies to wound sites and autonomously deliver clotting and tissue-repair materials.
In a field scenario, combat medics would create a small incision in the torso, through which MASH would deploy robotic components to stabilise and temporarily repair severe internal injuries.
DARPA emphasises that the effort is focused on augmenting existing, field-tested medical devices rather than developing entirely new robotic systems, adding autonomy and intelligence to proven tools.
The programme is planned as a two-phase effort conducted over a three-year period.
Phase 1, beginning in mid-2026, will address key technical challenges such as accurate wound detection and autonomous clot generation.
By the end of the first 24 months, the agency expects the system to be capable of independently identifying active hemorrhaging and locating internal wounds in injured personnel.
Phase 2 will refine and optimise the technology, with the goal of readying the system for potential battlefield use within an additional 12-month period.
