Hedy Lamarr

Hedy Lamarr (1914-2000) was an Austrian-American actress and inventor. She co-invented frequency-hopping spread spectrum technology during World War II, which laid the foundation for modern wireless communication. Lamarr's contribution to telecommunications and her impact on technology have earned her recognition as a pioneering figure in the field.

At the beginning of World War II, she and composer George Antheil developed a radio guidance system for Allied torpedoes that used spread spectrum and frequency hopping technology to defeat the threat of jamming by the Axis powers. Although the US Navy did not adopt the technology until the 1960s, the principles of their work are incorporated into Bluetooth and GPS technology and are similar to methods used in legacy versions of CDMA and Wi-Fi. This work led to their induction into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2014.

Hedy Lamarr was an Austrian and American actress and inventor. Regarded as a successful film star, she also co-invented a radio guidance system during World War II.

• After a brief early film career in Czechoslovakia, including the controversial erotic romantic drama Ecstasy (1933), she fled from her first husband, Friedrich Mandl, and secretly moved to Paris.
• Regarded as a successful film star, she also co-invented a radio guidance system during World War II.
• At the beginning of World War II, along with composer George Antheil, Lamarr co-invented a radio guidance system for Allied torpedoes that used spread spectrum and frequency hopping technology to defeat the threat of radio jamming by the Axis powers.
• This approach, conceptualized as a "Secret Communication System", was intended to provide secure, jam-resistant communication for weapon guidance by spreading the signal across multiple frequencies.