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Hedy Lamarr
1914–2000 · Inventor & Actress
An Austrian-American film star and inventor who co-developed a frequency-hopping radio system, an important early development in secure wireless communication.
“The brains of the people are more interesting than the looks, I think.”
Why is this scientist famous?
Co-inventing a frequency-hopping radio communication system with George Antheil to make radio-guided weapons harder to jam.
Lamarr and George Antheil's patented system was an important early example of frequency-hopping communication. Frequency-hopping and related spread-spectrum techniques were later developed further and became important in secure and civilian wireless communication.
Hedy's story
From Silver Screen to Science
Born Hedwig Eva Maria Kiesler in Vienna, Lamarr became one of the most glamorous film stars of Hollywood's golden age, starring in films such as 'Algiers' and 'Samson and Delilah.' But behind the screen image was a restless, inventive mind. She set up a drafting table in her Hollywood home and spent her evenings working on engineering problems, from improved traffic lights to a dissolvable fizzy tablet that was meant to create a wartime soft drink.
The Torpedo Problem
During the Second World War, Lamarr and composer George Antheil developed a radio-guidance system intended to make signals harder for an enemy to jam. Their design synchronised a transmitter and receiver as they switched among 88 frequencies, reflecting the 88 keys of a piano. They received U.S. Patent 2,292,387 in 1942 and offered the idea for military use, but the U.S. Navy did not adopt it during the war.
A Patent Ahead of Its Time
The patent expired before Lamarr and Antheil received financial benefit from it. Frequency-hopping techniques were later used in secure military communication, while spread-spectrum methods became important in modern wireless technology. Lamarr and Antheil's patent is recognised as an important early contribution to that history.
Late Recognition
In 1997, the Electronic Frontier Foundation gave Lamarr its Pioneer Award, and she became the first woman to receive the BULBIE Gnass Spirit of Achievement Award, sometimes called the Oscar of inventing. She was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2014. She died in 2000 at the age of 85, but her dual legacy as a screen icon and a hidden inventor continues to inspire.
What did they discover?
Frequency-Hopping Spread Spectrum
With George Antheil, co-invented a system in which transmitter and receiver switched together among 88 radio frequencies to make a control signal harder to jam.
Guided Torpedo Control
Designed with George Antheil a frequency-hopping radio-control system intended for guiding torpedoes while resisting enemy jamming.
Amazing facts
Composer George Antheil helped Lamarr develop a system that switched among 88 frequencies, matching the number of keys on a piano.
The U.S. Patent was granted on 11 August 1942, but the Navy did not deploy the technology during the war.
Her patent expired in 1959, years before the technology became widely used — she earned no money from it.
She was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2014.
She reportedly learned about torpedoes from her first husband, an Austrian arms manufacturer.
She also devised an improved traffic light and a tablet that was meant to turn water into a wartime cola drink.
Timeline
Born in Vienna, Austria
Starred in the controversial film 'Ecstasy' in Europe
Moved to Hollywood and signed with MGM
Received U.S. Patent 2,292,387 for frequency-hopping spread spectrum
Received the Electronic Frontier Foundation Pioneer Award
Died in Casselberry, Florida, age 85
Inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame posthumously
Awards & honours
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