Responding to the increasing necessity to provide pure water to warfighters in the field, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has developed a new system that is lighter and more effective than those now in use. The Materials with Novel Transport Properties (MANTRA) system, weighing in at about 400 pounds, also uses half the power of its closest counterpart. Built by Teledyne Scientific Company, MANTRA uses a new coating on filtration membranes that separates unwanted particles from seawater and prevents clogging. Testing of MANTRA is complete, the agency stated June 25. The units soon will help provide warfighters with the three gallons of water they each require daily. More importantly, the system likely will save lives. "We take 10 to 15 percent of casualties among Marines involved in the delivery of fuel and water," former Marine Corps Commandant Gen. James Conway said in 2010.