Regina Dugan is the director of DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency), which is responsible for the development of new technology for the military.

DARPA is in charge of many high-risk science and technology projects, including thinking computers, shape-shifting machines, and soldier telepathy.

DARPA also funded BigDog, the dynamically stable quadruped robot created by Boston Dynamics.

After receiving her Ph.D. in mechanical engineering at the California Institute of Technology, Dugan worked as a researcher at the Institute for Defense Analyses and then as a program manager at DARPA’s Defense Science Office where she led the “Dog’s Nose” mine-detection effort.

She is also the co-author of “Engineering Thermodynamics” and formed the company RedX, which builds security gear, including an explosives detector that relies on fluorescent ink.

Filed under: Mechanical, Trailblazers

Tags: Mechanical, Military, Technology