The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is currently investigating how to design miniscule biosensors that would monitor soldier health. These biosensors would be implanted on each soldier and would constantly monitor various bodily functions. They could be used to see how, as individuals, soldiers respond to specific environmental conditions, exhaustion, or dietary changes. Monitoring changes in chemical and hormonal signals in the human body, such as histamine and cortisol levels, could easily allow the military to monitor exactly how each individual soldier’s diet and sleep patterns should be modified to optimize his/her performance. These biosensors are still in the planning and early development stages. In the future, implantable biosensors like these may be able to provide real-time information to physicians, allowing the normal civilian population to receive more optimal care. For example, in response to the administration of a drug, the patient’s immediate physiological response could be measured and analyzed by medical staff.
