Impact-driven category spotlight — Hedy LaMarr
Hope & curiosity about the future seemed better than guarantees. The unknown was always so attractive to me…and still is. — Hedy LaMarr
Hedy LaMarr. How many of us know her? Of those who know how many know her as a Hollywood actress? But Hedy LaMarr isn’t just an actress. She is an inventor.
She is stunning for sure! But not just because of her looks. Hedy together with George Antheil invented Signal Hopping or later known as Frequency Hopping.
Frequency-hopping spread spectrum (FHSS) transmission is the repeated switching of frequencies during radio transmission to reduce interference and avoid interception. It is useful to counter eavesdropping or to obstruct the jamming of telecommunications. And it can minimize the effects of unintentional interference. Source — https://searchnetworking.techtarget.com/definition/frequency-hopping-spread-spectrum
Why is this important? Hedy’s invention with Signal Hopping is the launching pad for Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, GPS, cordless phones, cell phones, and much more. Modern Communication in other words. She designed the blueprint during World War II. She was trying to figure out a device to prevent enemy ships from jamming torpedo guidance signals.
Her co-inventor Antheil used her blueprint to create the model. The device signal hopped both the radio transmitter and the torpedo receiver simultaneously. The result? The enemy couldn’t intercept the signal. Hedy had apparently worked on her invention in her trailer, during breaks.
In a Forbes article titled “Hedy Lamarr: The Incredible Mind Behind Secure WiFi, GPS, And Bluetooth” author Shivaune Field, had included this quote:
“Inventions are easy for me to do,’ the Austrian accented LaMarr says in ‘Bombshell.’ “I don’t have to work on ideas, they come naturally.”
Hedy isn’t just an inventor. She is an impact-driven one. She and Antheil donated the patented technology to the US Military, some say the patent was confiscated on the basis that she was an immigrant. They rejected it. In the 1950s the military used this technology as the basis for sonobuoy. Here’s what it does:
Mind you the technology was still under patent when this was developed. Yet many “inventors” and designers used it as a launching pad for other technology creations.
But neither Hedy nor Antheil received any compensation. The frequent hopping tech industry is estimated to be worth $30 billion. In case you missed it Hedy’s work created the frequency hopping category. And yet…
Her life is documented in Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr Story.
This makes me so mad! Why do women ALWAYS have to be invisible? Why do we do much invisible work and almost never get the credit or the compensation?
Remember hidden figures? How 3 FEMALE African American mathematicians were the human computers behind the space race?
I mean what the hell! There are so many such impact-driven category creators who are women. Their stories are rarely told or spotlighted. They are rarely hailed as heroes or saviors. There is sooo much a cognitive and unconscious bias when it comes to women. God forbid you should be a woman AND a minority- like the ladies of Hidden Figures.
When these stories do get told, we express shock and dismay and then move on with our lives. Regardless of what gender or sexual orientation you identify with, this must make you mad. Recognizing the work of women and our contribution to society is a pivotal conversation we need to have. How do we expect to solve the climate emergency by ignoring one-half (loosely used) of the population? The current problem was created by man. It can only be solved together. Us standing together in solidarity. Humanity!
I’m going to dedicate a few of my posts every month to spotlight “hidden” impact-driven category creators like Hedy LaMarr. Like any true inventor, Hedy kept on inventing. Proposed modifications to the supersonic Concorde airliner, a new stoplight, fluorescent dog collar, and more.
Here’s a poignant quote by Hedy:
“I‘m a sworn enemy of convention. I despite the conventional in anything, even the arts. I paint canvasses on the floor and drove one art teacher out of his mind. But that’s just the way I paint best.” Source — https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/589340-i-m-a-sworn-enemy-of-convention-i-despite-the-conventional
Let’s all challenge convention and choose to make an impact.