Carl Levin: Investing in Michigan Innovation

April 18, 2008 -- This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). If you have never heard of DARPA, you are not alone. But some of the innovations it has supported are familiar to all of us, and the work they are doing today will shape the way we live tomorrow. DARPA began the research that led to the creation of the Internet; it originated the technologies used in our military’s stealth aircraft; and it even provided funding to the inventor of the computer mouse.

DARPA NASA USAF experimental hanger: Photo by mollyali (CC)

These innovations have changed the way we learn and communicate and teach, changed the way companies and entrepreneurs do business, and changed the way our military protects the nation. At the same time, DARPA’s advances have had an immeasurable impact on our economy and on job creation.

DARPA is just one of the science and innovation organizations that I have worked with and supported as Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee. These organizations are great examples of how we can use public-private partnerships to aid our national security efforts while also positively supporting the economy.

Some of the entities are based in Michigan, and their potential innovations hold great promise for our state’s economic future.

In Warren, the Army Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center (TARDEC) is developing technologies aimed towards creating the next generation of autonomous robotic vehicles, which have both civilian and military applications ranging from bomb detection, to exploring distant planets, to pilot-less airplanes. Many of the technologies TARDEC is working on involve other Michigan entities and researchers.

Just last year I helped secure funding for construction of a new state-of-the-art Power and Energy Laboratory at TARDEC to increase research into engines, fuel cells and energy storage devices. Advancements in this field will be useful for the military’s combat and tactical systems, as well as for the automotive industry.

Funding for Michigan researchers will help them develop artificial intelligence with great potential for commercialization. This technology has a number of military applications, including modeling and simulation, robotics control systems and intelligence analysis.

Another Michigan-based venture is focused on developing transparent ceramic armor, providing lightweight battlefield protection. But if the technology, which uses something called “nanomaterials,” is successful, it could also help to maximize the capabilities of high-powered lasers for use in advanced communications systems.

At the University of Michigan, the Automotive Research Center, along with TARDEC’s National Automotive Center (NAC), is developing automotive technologies, such as advanced engine systems, vehicle design technologies, and high performance and lightweight materials, which can enhance national security and potentially help manufacturers and suppliers as well.

The technological possibilities of all of these partnerships and projects are boundless, and the potential economic benefits of supporting this kind of research and development are huge.

Michigan’s automotive industry and our world-class research universities make our state home to an enormous concentration of engineering and scientific know-how. Thanks to the efforts already undertaken, we can expect great breakthroughs of the next 50 years to happen right here in our state.

Public-private partnerships and investments in high-potential technologies will spur innovation and create the jobs that provide a bright economic future for Michigan.

Source: Senator Carl Levin

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