A year and a half ago, an analogue of the American DARPA was created in Russia - the Advanced Research Fund (FPI), which is supposed to finance advanced defense developments and ultimately, like the famous Pentagon department, become the largest aggregator of the latest technologies for the armed forces. Although too little time has passed, you can get an idea of the results of its work now. For example, telepathic contact between man and machine is already a reality, demonstrated at a special conference of the foundation. In the final stages of development are such fantastic projects as the creation of an android and the immersion of a person in a state of hypobiosis (temporary artificial death)
The Russian scientific and technical community turned out to be ready not only for the revival of scientific centers, research institutes and entire branches of research competencies, but also for large-scale cooperation within the framework of the synergy of state-academic partnership. When a presidential decree on the establishment of the Advanced Research Fund was issued in 2012, the developers had a skeptical view of the new agency. For example, Andrey Smolkin, a leading engineer at the Rubin Central Design Bureau, recalls: “At that time, about two dozen R&D funding channels and various funds to support technical innovations were created through various departments. Each of them worked with varying degrees of efficiency - there were, of course, successful initiatives, such as RosNANO, but none of them represented an aggregate multisystem approach, i.e. did not take into its orbit the entire scientific and technical spectrum - fundamental researchers, integrators, developers of all levels and industries. Starting from students of technical universities and ending with the root institutes of the Russian Academy of Sciences. When a fund with a similar name and goals to DARPA appeared, many of us thought that it was such a PR of the state. However, now we can say with a high degree of certainty that we were clearly mistaken. FPI works exactly as the famous American technology generator - also quickly, systematically and efficiently. So far, only the scale is more modest."
The head of the public relations department of the FPI Andrey Veduta in an interview with Expert Online said: “Of course, most of the projects are classified and I have no right to talk about them, but you can talk about some of them. For example, a brain-to-computer interface project was in high readiness - most recently, a prototype of a system was presented that allowed the operator to control an unmanned aerial vehicle with virtually thought. Among the approved applications there are a lot of projects in robotics and the development of the Arctic. The fund has proven its effectiveness and therefore, despite the economic difficulties, its funding from the federal budget is growing. This year it is 3, 325 billion rubles, and the approved action program of the fund today provides for practical measures for 38 projects. By the end of the year, most likely, the number will grow to 45. The government has already decided that funding for the next year will be significantly increased."
Brain-computer
This technology looks absolutely fantastic and, if not for its real demonstration within the framework of the fund's programs, hardly anyone would have believed in it. On September 25, a demonstration of the intermediate results of the project was held, the main purpose of which is an experimental assessment of the possibility of the practical implementation of the brain-computer interface (BCI) within the framework of human-machine systems for controlling the attached device without interrupting the main activity, that is, in “in the background.
Scientists and officials were shown how a person, through a BCI, controls a quadrocopter, both in virtual mode (using the software created within the project) and in the case of direct control. During the demonstration, the operators, using the biopotentials of the brain, controlled the movement of the quadrocopter in a maze (virtual mode) and free space, while maintaining the ability to move freely and communicate with observers. One of the members of the commission, seeing this miracle, could not resist delight: “This cannot be! We see the embodiment of the wildest fantasies of Hollywood scriptwriters into a real mechanism."
Hibernation and Hypobiosis
One more topic from the fund's work is worth noting. On October 2, the Foundation held a seminar on the topic: "Hibernation and Hypobiosis", in which representatives of the Institute of Cell Biophysics of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the Scientific Research Institute of Occupational Medicine of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences, the Institute of Evolutionary Physiology and Biochemistry named after V. I. THEM. Sechenov Russian Academy of Sciences, Military Medical Academy named after V. I. CM. Kirov and others. Opening the seminar, Professor Alexander Panfilov, Deputy General Director of the Foundation, Head of the Department of Chemical, Biological and Medical Research, noted that the main goal of the event was to discuss problematic issues related to solving an applied problem: the development of technology for controlled hypobiotic human states. This direction of research is an integral part of the general problem being solved within the framework of the "Defender of the Future" megaproject, namely, increasing the combat capability of military personnel in extreme conditions and their resistance to damaging factors of various nature. As the head of the project group of the Foundation Anatoly Kovtun noted, not all of those who, to one degree or another, had previously dealt with this scientific problem, accepted proposals to participate in the seminar.
“If we learn to regulate the“biological time of a person”, i.e. reversibly slow down all basic life processes, then we will significantly advance in the technology of providing medical care not only to servicemen in armed conflict zones, but also in cases of man-made and natural emergencies, we will give a new impetus to the development of transplantology,”said project manager Alexander Varlachev. In this area, DARPA's research and the results of its development are being completed under the program: "Surving Blood Loss Program" - first aid for blood loss - currently undergoing clinical trials.
Director of the Research Institute of Occupational Medicine of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences Igor Bukhtiyarov said that interest in hypobiosis arose in the 60s of the last century, was associated with the beginning of human exploration of outer space, and since then has not weakened due to the futuristic and attractiveness of the method itself. “Lethargic sleep, some yoga practices, artificial coma, hibernation of certain mammalian species are examples of natural hypobiosis. Its main criterion is a sharp decrease in oxygen consumption by a living organism, which entails a decrease in body temperature, a slowdown in metabolism, a decrease in muscle activity and the activity of the central nervous system. At the same time, in a state of hypobiosis, the body's resistance to extreme influences sharply increases, "said Professor Bukhtiyarov. “A corresponding scientific and technical project will be devoted to this, which will be developed in the Fund,” summed up the discussion, Professor Kovtun. As he noted, the goal of such a project should be "the creation of the foundations of medical technologies to ensure controlled hypobiosis", and in the future - the creation of technologies and medicines that would allow long-distance space flights.
Robots and androids
On September 15-17, a military-industrial conference "Prospects for the development of robotic complexes and complexes with unmanned aerial vehicles" was held on the territory of the FKP "Research Institute" Geodesy "with a practical demonstration of the functionality of modern and promising samples of robotics. In 2014, tests of a robotic complex for the protection and protection of silo launchers of intercontinental ballistic missiles should be completed. And soon a combat robot will be created for the Russian army on the basis of the Tiger armored car, which is planned to be equipped with the Kornet anti-tank missile system.
In addition, the Advanced Research Foundation has supported the development of a basic robotic platform for a universal android. Such a robot will be able to work in a hazardous environment, take samples of polluted air and soil, examine them and transmit the received data over a distance of several kilometers. The first tests of the humanoid rescue robot are planned for 2015-2016.
Based on the results of the last meeting of the Scientific and Technical Council of the Foundation for Advanced Study, which took place on August 26 in Moscow, new projects were recommended for implementation. “In terms of the pace of consideration of ideas and initiatives submitted to the Fund, translating them into ready-to-implement projects, we are confidently moving towards the targets set out in the Fund's Program of Activities for 2013-2016,” the Chairman of the Scientific and Technical Council noted at the end of the event. Foundation Vitaly Davydov. Among the projects considered are the development of a technology for the additive manufacturing of complex shaped polymetallic products, as well as innovative technologies for the manufacture of hydrolyzed cellulose. It was decided that the project for the development of a prototype of a high-speed wireless communication channel will be implemented by the laboratory created on the basis of the Federal State Unitary Enterprise "Rostov-on-Don Research Institute of Radio Communication", and on the development of optical memory technology with an unlimited data storage period - by the laboratory of the Russian University of Chemical Technology them. DI. Mendeleev. Also approved was a project for the development of technologies for rescuing a person in conditions of the threat of the development of terminal states (project partner - Institute of Cell Biophysics, Russian Academy of Sciences
