The Father of Invention: War’s Contribution to Technology
“Necessity is the mother of invention”. A phrase we have heard countless times whenever the technological progress of man over the centuries is discussed. But there is perhaps a second part to this quote which is often overlooked, that if necessity is indeed the mother of invention, then warfare is the father. Indeed man’s constant need for violence and warfare has been the source of some of the most major technological advancements ever made. Be it jet engines or microwaves, space travel or duct tape, wireless communication or GPS, nuclear power or even the very internet that holds our modern world together, they all owe their existence to war.
Defense technology itself is a very broad term, covering everything from the depths of the sea to the vastness of space and everything in between. Below are just a few of the countless examples of the crossover of technology between the war zone and our daily lives.
The Future Soldier:
Since the history of warfare begins with the marching of boots on the ground, it is apt that we also begin with the most basic element of a fighting force, the soldiers. While at first glance the common soldier has remained more or less unchanged throughout the centuries, a closer look reveals how advancements in technology have fundamentally changed the way a soldier fights. A good example of this is the application of gun mounted optics and night vision/thermal vision devices.
In the past, a soldier would look through a basic optical sight and see a reticle. Today, a soldier looking through a digital optical sight sees his compass, range, wind speed, humidity and many other useful pieces of information.
Similarly, infrared night vision technology has evolved greatly since its inception in the 1930s, when the German company AEG invented the first ever night vision devices for use by the German military during World War 2. From grainy grey and green images to Augmented Reality battlefields that make the war-zone look like a video game, this technology has now made its way past the battlefield and finds use in many everyday applications. One such example is the use of infrared night vision technologies in automobiles that make driving at night safer, especially when combined with other modern self-driving technologies (most of which abuse optical cameras, LiDAR and Radars, all of which were also originally created for military use, more on them later). Other uses include security systems and deep sea exploration, both of which use Infrared Night vision cameras.
Another important field which owes a great deal to defense research is that of prosthetics. While it is now known that Prosthetics have existed as far back as 3000 BCE, The two world wars and the more recent War on terror have acted as catalysts for the development of modern prosthesis as injured soldiers became the most common recipients for prosthetic limbs. So much so that in 2005, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), the agency responsible for defense research for the US department of defense, launched its own program to revolutionize Prosthetics.
Connecting the world, one war at a time:
Communication and detection is one of the most critical aspects of any military operation. The modern strategy of “combined arms warfare” where every man and machine has a singular and critical part to play forced the armies of the world to come up with more efficient communication solutions. Not only did Warfare revolutionize wireless communication Due it widespread use in World war 1 and 2, But was also responsible for technologies such as Radars (which is also what led to the accidental invention of Microwave ovens!), the GPS and the internet. While the military uses radars for tracking enemy and allied movements, GPS systems for navigation and munitions guidance (think modern long range guided missiles and bombs) and wireless communication for…well…wireless communication, I don’t need to highlight the importance of Cell phones, google maps and the internet in our daily lives. Obviously these technologies have basically shaped the modern world into what it is today.
The Sky’s not the limit:
Many of us have heard the story of man’s first flight, when the wright brothers took to the skies on December 17th, 1903. Arguably the biggest revolution in aviation took place during World War 2, when the jet engine was invented. The first jet powered aircraft, the Heinkel HE 178, was a German military fighter, so was the first mass produced jet powered aircraft, the Messerschmitt Me-262. After the war, this technology would find its way on to civilian airliners, ushering in a new era of air travel, allowing people to travel to all corners of the globe within just a few hours. Further still, the first manmade object in space was also a tool of war, though people will often wrongly give the title to the Russian Sputnik-1 satellite, the first manmade object to leave orbit was a German V2 ballistic missile named MW18014 that accomplished this feat on June 20, 1944. These same missiles would go on to form the basis of both the American and Soviet space programs during the Cold War.
Of course these are just a few examples of how military innovations have found their way into our everyday lives, but the next time you take a picture, drive your car, heat some food or browse the internet to read an online article, take a moment to think about how you got there. While the moral aspects of war are far beyond the scope of this essay, it is important to remember that technological advancement is never inherently good or bad, it can come from anywhere at any time, it is up to man to decide how it is used. However with the above history in mind, it would not be amiss to say that Warfare is indeed, the father of invention, and without war maybe peace would not be as easy as it either.
This article was written by Ahmed Saeed — Event Management Assistant and Writer at RAC’23.
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