The US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is developing a groundbreaking robotic battlefield medical concept designed to locate internal wounds and apply lifesaving treatment inside the human body. The initiative aims to dramatically improve survival rates for critically injured frontline troops during the critical window before evacuation to advanced medical facilities.
Known as Medics Autonomously Stopping Hemorrhage (MASH), the system uses artificial intelligence and advanced sensing technologies to autonomously navigate within the body, identify bleeding sources, and deploy clotting and healing materials. In a field scenario, medics would create a small incision in the casualty’s torso, enabling MASH’s robotic components to reach and temporarily seal internal injuries that are otherwise difficult to access under combat conditions.
DARPA emphasized that MASH does not involve building entirely new robotic platforms. Instead, the program focuses on enhancing existing, combat-proven medical devices with autonomy, precision sensing, and intelligent decision-making. This approach is intended to speed development while ensuring compatibility with current military medical practices.
The MASH program is structured into two phases spanning three years. Phase 1, beginning in summer 2026, will concentrate on improving wound localization, hemorrhage detection, and artificial clot formation. By the end of the first 24 months, DARPA expects the system to autonomously identify active bleeding sites. Phase 2 will refine performance and transition the technology toward potential battlefield deployment within an additional 12 months.
