Program Summary
The Bioelectronics for Tissue Regeneration (BETR) program will develop technology aimed at speeding warfighter recovery, and thus resilience, by directly intervening in wound healing. To do this, researchers will build an adaptive system that uses actuators to biochemically or biophysically stimulate tissue, sensors to track the body’s complex response to that stimulation, and adaptive learning algorithms to integrate sensor data and dictate intervention to the actuators. After establishing this closed-loop control over physiological processes, BETR researchers will integrate these devices into a single platform that guides the tissue in real-time along an optimal growth pathway. Ultimately, through the BETR program DARPA aims to provide medical interventions with the necessary sophistication to more quickly restore complex human tissues after injury. The effort notably focuses on injuries relevant to the warfighter such as blast and burn damage to skin, muscle, and nerves. If the program succeeds, warfighters could return to duty sooner and more fully healed.