Even before Sept. 11 set off a rush of antiterror technology research, Sandia and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (Darpa) had the zany idea of using honeybees to stand in for humans when collecting traces of bioweapons and explosives.

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The Sunshot initiative and other key technology innovation programs like the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Energy (ARPA-E), embody the kind of smart innovation policy that holds the promise of fundamentally transforming the economy and ushering in a new era of U.S. technology leadership.

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Much of the technology that is commonplace today in manufacturing, advanced materials, software and electronics originated as projects sponsored by the DoD.

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New leaders include Motorola unit head Dennis Woodside and former Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency chief Regina Dugan, who joined Google in March and will lead an advanced technology group at Motorola.

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The other was Mari Maeda, an obscure program manager at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), who described her work on Advanced Soldier Sensor Information Systems and Technology (ASSIST).

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