The devices do not include electrical wiring or battery replacements, making it a likely candidate for powering remote sensor networks and medical-sensing technologies.

FORBES: Wanted Dead or Alive: Humans for Energy Harvesting

There was some headway made using the devices as sensor gateways, mainly in the medical community, which Apple had initially pushed heavily during the launch.

FORBES: External Accessories: The Next Front in the Mobile War

The cost of sensor technology, a common component of medical devices, has also fallen "exponentially" in recent years, according to Vivek Wadhwa, director of research at Duke University's Center for Entrepreneurship and Research Commercialization.

WSJ: New Medical Devices Get Smart

The DoD's sensor funding can be expected to bear fruit for the medical services industry, as advanced remote physiological sensing and monitoring could have an enormous impact on home monitoring in the nursing industry.

FORBES: Nanotech On The Front Lines