| iNARTE News Selected On-line Articles Volume 19 Number 4 Winter 2001-2002 |
What Does It Take To Be An Inventor?
E dison's wisdom applies to an inventor stationed at Fort Wainwright Alaska--Chief Warrant Officer Roderick
Mitchell, avionics officer for Company C, 4th Battalion, 123rd Aviation Regiment.
"He can spend hours working on a project and not realize that the night or day has passed him by," said his wife, Denise. "He is always looking for ways to improve things, and once he gets an idea in his head, he will not stop until he has designed, fabricated and implemented it."
Last year, Mitchell invented a hands-free earpiece and microphone headset for the Single Channel Ground and Airborne Radio System (SINCGARS). With this tool, two-way communication leaves the hands free for other tasks.
"The headset allows soldiers to keep both hands on their weapons and keep their eyes downrange at their targets," said Mitchell. "It also makes it harder for the enemy to overhear communications, keeping a soldier undetected."
The headset has an adapter that plugs into the SINCGARS Advanced System Improvement Program, known as ASIP. This allows the radio telephone operator to listen to communications with the earpiece and respond by pressing the microphone clipped to the uniform.
However, it was his first invention, a hands-free earpiece, that led to his latest Army improvement.
In 1999, Mitchell was the electronics maintenance officer for the 82nd Signal Battalion, a unit under the 82nd Airborne
Division at Fort Bragg, NC.
''Everyone in my command knew I was a tinkerer. One day, the division communications officer of the 82nd Airborne Division explained to me a need for paratroopers to have their hands free," said Mitchell.
The reasoning behind the request was to allow paratroopers to keep both hands on their weapon and still continue receiving information, explained Mitchell.
"Paratroopers would also be able to hit the ground ready to react to enemy fire if necessary, increasing their chances of staying alive," he said.
Until the arrival of the earpiece, paratroopers had to secure a bulky, plastic handset to their kevlar.
Mitchell took the parts home and using his home stereo, computer and toolbox, had a prototype ready to be tested by the following week. It cost only $12 in parts from Radio Shack. He said he also received help from the 82nd Signal Maintenance Shop.
The first soldiers to jump out of the planes using his invention were thrilled, said Mitchell.
"'Hey, these are great! Can you build us some more stuff?' they asked," Mitchell said.
"The assistant division commander for support of the 82nd Airborne Division said to me, 'Every commander will have these for their radio telephone operators.'''
Mitchell is often tinkering when he has spare time.
"A lot of times when I was in the field, I would bring the toolbox my wife gave me and work on making communication devices more convenient for soldiers," said Mitchell.
"When developing the earpieces, I remember him going without sleep for days at a time while fine-tuning his creation,'' said Denise. "I can recall the excitement he showed when he finished-- it was like seeing a kid in a candy store."
It is this satisfaction that keeps Mitchell going, but most people would admit a monetary reward for hard work is nice too.
The hands-free earpiece and microphone headset for SINCGARS won him $1,000 after it was submitted to the Supply and Maintenance Assessment and Review Team program. [The SMART program accepts ideas online only at www.cascom.army.mil/multi/Project_SMART/index.cfm ]
He was also recognized in the September 2001 issue of "The Preventive Maintenance Monthly."
But it wasn't money or fame Mitchell was after. He had to submit the invention to the SMART program for it to be massproduced by a military contractor, he said.
"The device really provides non-tangible benefits to the Army," said Mitchell. "It's not measured in dollars; it's measured in the fact that it may save lives."
Other inventions and improvements under Mitchell's belt include an earphone cable to replace external speakers for monitoring radios.
"Although Mitchell told the SMART Program he did not want money for this invention, the program approved his invention and has since, contracted the item out and assigned it a national stock number,' said Lt. Col. Raymond Fiewelling, 4th Bn., 123rd Avn. Commander.
Mitchell also worked with Co. C' s Avionics and Electric Shop on a transponder interface device. Instead of spending $900$1,200 to send a transponder to Fort Carson, Colo., to be repaired, it can now be fixed for about $100 here, said the inventor.
"The SMART team recommended me for a reward of $100 for correcting the test wiring diagram for the Aviation Stabilization Test Set," said Mitchell. "I never followed through on the reward
but was happy to see that a change would be made."
What's challenging Mitchell now?
Aside from working on his master's degree in Communications Technology Management, "My company's electric shop is currently working on a project with me to provide air medics a hands-free interface device for communication operations," he said.