Neel Mehta
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency has provided Santa Claus and his crew with technology platforms designed to help them carry out their duties this Christmas as part of the High-speed Optimized Handling of Holiday Operations program.
DARPAÂ said Friday the HO HO HO initiative is on its fourth year and aims to share with Santa Claus research tools developed through six agency-led programs.
Those programs include the Targeted Neuroplasticity Training; Ground Truth; Video Synthetic Aperture Radar; Atomic Magnetometer for Biological Imaging In Earth’s Native Terrain; Warfighter Analytics using Smartphones for Health; and Hallmark.
The TNT program aims to identify noninvasive techniques that seek to advance cognitive skills acquisition through stimulation of the peripheral nervous system, while the Ground Truth program works to help military planners build up the accuracy of social science models.
VISAR seeks to provide high-resolution videos of mobile ground targets through various weather conditions, while AMBIIENT aims to develop systems designed to detect and screen an individual’s bodily activities.
The WASH program seeks to leverage mobile sensors to gather physiological data and identify potential health problems and the Hallmark initiative aims to build systems designed to help commanders protect on-orbit assets.
“Santa and his helpers are essential partners in America’s technology innovation ecosystem—not just for their centuries of inventiveness, but also for the happiness they bring to service members, veterans, and their families each year,†said a spokesperson for DARPA.
DARPA also partnered with the U.S. Air Force’s North American Aerospace Defense Command on a program that aims to track the flight of Santa during Christmas eve.
