Hedy Lamarr Inventions and Accomplishments

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Hedy Lamarr was a famous Austrian actress and she became known for her Silver Screen exploitation. Aside from being an actress, she additionally gained popularity due to her inventions. Her name ranks as one of the brightest stars in the movie industry but most people are not aware that she was able to help the Allies in winning during World War II.

The Life of Hedy Lamarr

Hedy Lamarr was born in 1914 and obtained popularity as a Hollywood actress. She turned out to be a pioneer in the industry of wireless communications after her emigration to the United States. Lamarr was a global beauty icon and started to work with her co-inventor, George Anthiel. Together, they did everything they could to come up with an innovative tool that would alter communications.

The Start of Wireless Communications

Through their perseverance, they developed a “secret communication system”. Their main aim behind this was to give assistance to those combating the Nazis during World War II. By manipulating the radio frequencies at lopsided intervals between the transmission as well as the reception, their invention established the unbreakable code that could be used to prevent enemy personnel from intercepting classified messages.

While a certain message was sent, the transmitter and the receiver would change the radio frequencies based on an exclusive code. At every ending of the transmission, the identical fitted paper rolls that are the same with those that are used in player pianos, dictates the code based on their slots pattern. Just as the player piano grips and modifies the notes at various intervals to create a melody, their creation held and altered radio frequencies in order to form the unbreakable code. The signals can be transmitted without being jammed, detected or deciphered.

Both Anthiel and Lamarr got a patent in 1941 but the enormous value of their invention wasn’t realized until several years passed by. It was initially implemented and used on marine ships during the period of Cuban Missile Crisis. It did not emerge subsequently in various military applications. But what matters most is that the spread spectrum technology that was created by these two people would end up inciting the boom of digital communications. Their invention formed the technical framework used to make mobile phones, fax machines, and other wireless devices.

The invention of Lamarr and Anthiel was a fruit of their exceptional minds. With her dedication, Lamarr made her name increasingly popular and was recognized for her invention through the receipt of numerous awards. One of her awards was the 1997 Pioneer Award from the Electronic Boundary Foundation for all of her contributions to the industry of spread-spectrum technology.

Her invention made her to be recognized as the “Inventor of Frequency Hopping”. Hedy Lamarr will always be remembered as the stunning legend in the Golden Age of Hollywood. On the other hand, her fame for being an inventor of the top secret communication system will be the number one thing that will keep on reminding those people who know more about Hedy Lamarr aside from being a very successful actress.

Wireless Communications Timeline
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