Written by Lynn Goya,

While it may seem to be common wisdom that the government doesn’t produce jobs, that doesn’t mean that the government doesn’t produce jobs.  In fact, many of the technological inventions that have made individuals within the private sector rich are the result of government research.  Computers, the internet, global positioning devices, satellites and Tang are just a few of the results of research accomplishments directly developed by or funded by government agencies.  As veterans transition into the private sector, here are a few of the projects that may lead to who-knows-what? In the private sector economy.

Float Like a Butterfly, Sting Like a Bee – Man Mimics Nature

Man has long longed to be able to fly like a hummingbird with its swift dart-like movements that can stop – mid-air – on a dime and then just sit in space as it decides what to do next.  Well, guess what, we have one – a hummingbird-sized military drone that contains all equipment needed to keep it in flight for eight minutes and can be controlled from an operator on the ground.  The little spy drone is intended to blend into the background while it transmits images back to the base.  At $4 million, the five-year project can be credited to AeroVironment Unmanned Aircraft Systems under contract from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA).  You can see a demonstration flight with the images it captures, here.

Air Wars

It is difficult to detect the small roadside bombs that continue to be a primary technique used against us in Iraq and Afghanistan.  Princeton University to the rescue!  In a project funded by the Office of Naval Research, engineers at the university just announced that they had developed a laser that could “sniff out” miniscule trace particles left when an explosive is set.  The scientists recently discovered that when a laser beam is shot in a direction, the air itself might respond with a shot back.  The responding beam returns on the same channel as the originating beam, but it carries the “signature” of the particles that reflected it.

*Photograph taken by Frank Wojciechowski