DARPA's O-Circuit program looks to build a new class of biologically inspired computer equipped with odorant sensing systems that would allow drones to smell danger, such as explosives and chemical agents, using olfactory receptor neurons.

This week, US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) announced it will hold proposers workshop on April 10 for its Organoid Cytomorphic Intelligence Resulting from Convergent Understanding and Information Transfer (O-Circuit) program.

O-Circuit looks to merge biology with machines in order to create sniffer drones equipped with real-time learning and memory capabilities that run on minimal power.

"By harnessing the incredible efficiency of biological systems, O-Circuit aims to create self-contained, biological processing units that can learn and compute while consuming minimal energy"DARPA, Organoid Cytomorphic Intelligence Resulting from Convergent Understanding and Information Transfer (O-Circuit) program, March 2026