Innovation Lab: Welcome!

CSAF Innovation Letter to Airmen, 17SEP2021

Airmen,

Since the dawn of airpower, Airmen and innovation instinctively aligned to create the world's dominant Air Force. However, diminishing competitive advantage threatens our national security. This is why I wrote Accelerate Change or Lose. Just as the very first Airmen supporting the trench warfare of World War I lived by the mantra of "over, not through," Airmen today must lead the innovative change required to secure our nation tomorrow. In my first year, I've witnessed Airmen doing this worldwide; from using local additive manufacturing to rapidly reconstitute aircraft here at home, to slimming down the footprint necessary to achieve air superiority in austere environments overseas. We must continue building upon this momentum.

Innovation is more than a buzzword—it goes beyond just creative thinking and lofty expectations. It is evolutionary or revolutionary changes to existing processes, capabilities, and mindsets. To succeed, we must properly identify problems, empower decentralized solutions by individuals and teams, and infuse an ethos of innovation at all levels. Innovation depends on both creative individuals and supportive organizations to turn concepts into reality.

Keep in mind that our Airmen, at all levels, already identify innovative solutions to address complex problems and drive modernization. If they do not have the answer yet, they will be the ones to discover it, given the right environment. I expect leaders, from front-line supervisors to MAJCOM commanders, to provide the intent and authority critical to creating an environment that allows experimentation and encourages innovated Airmen. The Air Force needs a culture underwritten with empowerment and trust. Airmen need their leaders to be their early supporters and early adopters.

Not all ideas will be practical; some will be prioritized over others, some will be shelved, and not all of them will be perfect—that is okay. An idea that is never presented is worse than an idea that does not work. Innovation requires courage, and rewards tenacity; we must iterate to find the best solution. For those that are truly innovative, setbacks are fully expected. The lessons learned during those attempts are necessary parts of the process and frequently serve as springboards for further improvements. This is why we debrief.

Remember, we value boldness and initiative. We need both innovative Airmen and their supportive leaders to achieve "over, not through" approaches for the 21st century. This takes an innovative ethos, this takes courage and creativity—this takes you!

CHARLES Q. BROWN, JR.

General, USAF

Chief of Staff

DoD tests VR suicide prevention training at Scott, Travis AFBs

"Leaders from across the 60th Air Mobility Wing at Travis Air Force Base took part in a suicide prevention, virtual reality training test phase Feb. 17 - 19, 2021. The 30-minute training is aimed to help Airmen’s comfort in engaging with others to prevent suicide. The training involves participants putting on a virtual reality headset and entering a scenario in which they interact with a person who is in obvious emotional distress. The goal is for the participant to convince the distressed person to get help. If participants don’t ask the distressed person the right questions to prompt them to get help, a training coach chimes in to assist the participant." (U.S. Air Force video by Nicholas Pilch)

Malmstrom AFB opens Wing1Werx Innovation Lab

Senior Airman Alexander Luttrell, 341st Contracting Squadron contracting specialist, tests drafting software with a virtual reality headset in the Wing1Werx Innovation Lab, Dec. 15, 2020, at Malmstrom Air Force Base, Mont. The overarching goal of the Innovation Lab is to improve the daily working lives of Airmen and to serve the mission by improving wing efficiency and lethality through innovative thinking. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman Elijah Van Zandt)

DOD Uses 3D-Printing to Create N95 Respirators

"Our group has been working on what is called an elastomeric half-mask respirator, which is a reusable frame produced by a 3D printer, with a disposable media or cartridge that filters at the 95% level." (Defense.gov)

This $15 3D-Printed Tool Will Save the Air Force Millions

Need to check for fuel leaks? There's a 3D-printed tool for that. The pressurized leak detection cup will cut the number of hours needed to detect for fuel tank leaks on the KC-135 by up to 75 percent, saving at least $1.5 million at RAF Mindenhall alone. (Popular Mechanics) SSgt. Patrick Leach developed this tool to save man hours and reduce time inside the hazardous fuel tank. The item is in line for printing and display in AU Library's Innovation Lab.

AU Collaborates with Montgomery Partners to Assist Front Line Personnel

The Fairchild Research Information Center loaned their 3-D printer to the effort to source and manufacture over 8000 shield masks. These were delivered to institutions in 25 counties across central Alabama including hospitals, nursing homes, police, fire fighters, EMTs, and corrections officers. (Air Force)

AU elective broadens SOS students’ research experience

Using the 3D printer in the Innovation Lab at the AU Library, research assistants have developed prototype parts for the Air Force Reserve’s 908th Airlift Wing at Maxwell. Getting a replacement part from the original manufacturer would cost roughly $300 and an untold amount of time to get; however, Capt. Ian Watkins was able to manufacture the prototype in about four hours for less than $2 in materials. (Air Force)

Travis AFB produces first certified 3-D printed aircraft parts

The first 3D printed aircraft parts authorized for use are on display at Travis Air Force Base, CA. The printer, which is certified by the FAA and the AF Advanced Technology and Training Center, offers new opportunities to create needed parts while saving time and money. “The covers we just printed usually take about a year from the time they’ve been ordered to the time they’ve been delivered…We printed two of the covers in 73 hours.” (Air Force)

Device Holder for Flak Vest

An ACSC Major developed a hands-free flak vest mount for a mobile device. Using AU Library’s 3D printer, the Major produced a rugged device holder that flips down to display battlefield information and allows the user to mark targets. The prototype has been finalized for production. (AU Library)

Digitizing Neil Armstrong’s Apollo 11 Moon Suit

The Smithsonian Museum digitally preserved Neil Armstrong’s entire Apollo 11 space suit through 3D scanning and photogrammetry. Using the AU Library’s 3D printer, Library staff replicated the left gauntlet from the Smithsonian’s digital model. Fine details such as fabric textures, folds, and stitching were preserved in the copy, an example of the high precision and fidelity possible with this technology. (Smithsonian, AU Library)