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Quantum Technologies Bring on the Next Tech Boom
| Source: SPIE
ORLANDO, FL -- (MARKET WIRE) -- April 13, 2007 -- Describing the current era as one of
technological opportunity equal to many in American history, panelists at
the SPIE Defense & Security Symposium this week agreed that quantum
technologies, powered by light, will be key to overcoming challenges and
solving critical problems.
The Defense & Security Symposium (DSS) is the largest unclassified
conference and exhibition covering sensor technology, components, devices
and systems for military and homeland security applications. The annual
event in Orlando featured a packed and provocative Executive Forum Tuesday
evening, exploring the potential of "The Next Tech Boom."
Moderated by Dr. John Carrano, DSS Chair and Vice President of R&D at
Luminex Corporation, the forum featured a stimulating keynote by Mark
Mills, co-founder and Chairman of the Board of ICx Technologies, Inc. The
talk enticed audience questions and commentary from an expert panel made up
of Major General Steve Reeves, Joint Program Executive Officer for Chemical
and Biological Defense for the DoD; Dr. Lynne Zydowsky, Zydowsky
Consultants; Dr. C. Kumar Patel, Pranalytical, Inc. and UCLA; and Dr. Allen
Northrup, Founder and CEO of MicroFluidic Systems, Inc.
In opening remarks, Mills argued that we as a society have reached a
pivotal point now, "where we begin the ramp-up of the proverbial
'hockey-stick' growth curves that revolutionize entire sectors of an
economy." He described this new economic category loosely as "Homeland
Security" and noted that many of the key tactical imperatives for security
and force protection in the U.S. Departments of Homeland Security and
Defense are addressable, in large measure, only with the capabilities of
"quantum technologies," driven by the quantum nature of light.
Mills referenced similar pivotal historical moments when an existing
technology suddenly accelerated innovation and achievement: the application
of radio for air-to-ground communication in WWII (invented 1901),
application of radar (invented 1923) also in that same war era. Another
cited example was the advent of Apple Computer's embodiment of digital
computing well after its invention in 1830.
Mills said today's technological infrastructure is "unlike anything
imagined in the world of a half-century ago." He described many of the
innovations seen at DSS as "the ultimate evidence of the confluence of
these various paradigm shifts." The DSS exhibition featured over 400
companies displaying components, devices, and software all poised to
further this industry.
Mills also commented on the unique "fueling" combination of technology push
(quantum technology "coming of age"), market pull (war effort, federal
funding) and changes in geopolitics, coupled with the new character of
innovation and entrepreneurship.
He said that the distributed and highly variable threats of terrorists,
both in civilian and battlefield environments, "are now on the front lines
of civilian concerns." To address this concern, Mills described the new
phenomenon of an emerging security industry being augmented by significant
federal investments as well as "enormous" venture capital.
Panelist Major General Reeves confirmed Mills's depiction of the critical
need for distributed defense solutions and noted that quantum technologies
are crucial to that future. He described changes to the way the DoD is
approaching the need for rapid solutions to problems or threats by creating
a path for more rapid study of "fly-off" technologies such as biometrics.
Reeves also said it's critical to resolve how to approach the vast amounts
of data being generated.
Zydowsky, an experienced executive involved in launching and building
several successful life-sciences companies, commented on the advantage of
companies in this industry being able to leverage both VC and DoD dollars
to build their portfolios for dual-use applications.
More than 5,000 attended the Defense & Security Symposium, which ends
Friday 13 April. Full details about the technical program, executive forum
and exhibition are online now at http://spie.org/events/dss
SPIE is an international society advancing an interdisciplinary approach to
the science and application of light. SPIE organizes events including SPIE
Advanced Lithography, Photonics West, Photomask, OptiFab, Defense &
Security Symposium, Optics & Photonics, Optics East, Photonics Europe and
many others. SPIE also publishes journals, books and conference
proceedings, with over 235,000 technical papers available for download via
the SPIE Digital Library. See SPIE.org for details.