DARPA is developing an advanced robotic medical concept designed to operate within the human body, enabling it to locate critical injuries and deliver immediate treatment—significantly improving survival prospects for frontline casualties before evacuation.
The programme, known as Medics Autonomously Stopping Hemorrhage (MASH), employs artificial intelligence to direct sophisticated sensing technologies to wound sites and autonomously administer clotting and tissue-healing agents.
In operational use, medical personnel would create a small incision in a wounded soldier’s torso, allowing MASH to deploy robotic elements that temporarily stabilise or repair life-threatening internal injuries.
DARPA emphasises that the effort is focused on enhancing proven combat medical tools rather than building entirely new robotic systems, integrating advanced autonomy, intelligent sensing, and decision-making capabilities into field-tested devices.
The MASH initiative is structured as a two-phase programme over a three-year period.
Phase 1, starting in mid-2026, will tackle key technical challenges, including accurate wound localisation and autonomous clot generation.
By the 24-month milestone, the system is expected to independently detect active hemorrhage and identify internal injury sites.
Phase 2 will complete system optimisation and support preparation for potential operational deployment within a further 12-month period.
