Boston Dynamics Releases Its WildCat Robotselfnews Post That funding from DARPA should be read as funding from the American taxpayer. Among the annual budget of around $3 billion, here is our money in action: The Maximum Mobility and Manipulation program was announced in 2011. DARPA states the goals as follows: While other areas of the government have shut down amid a supposed economic crisis, there seems to be no shortage of funding available to war profiteers defense contractors. 