JOINT BASE CHARLESTON, S.C., –
The Joint Base Charleston Palmetto Spark Innovation Lab celebrated its grand opening with a ribbon cutting ceremony Friday July 10, at Joint Base Charleston, South Carolina.
The formal ceremony also included a tour of the innovation lab showcasing its resources such as 3D printers, computer numerical control machines, software development and augmented virtual reality devices.
Palmetto Spark provides a safe space for Joint Base Charleston personnel to get guidance and help in developing innovative ideas to help with day-to-day tasks.
“The innovation cell is a spot for Airmen all across Joint Base Charleston to come in and prototype their product or process improvement ideas, or to discuss a problem and think on ways to solve it,” said Capt. Christian Brechbuhl, JB Charleston Director of Innovation. “The opening of the lab means that Airmen have a spot on base dedicated to empowering them to improve their quality of life, our mission capabilities and to save money.”
The innovation cell is a part of an Air Force wide program started by AFWERX to empower Airmen to bring tomorrow’s tools to the warfighter today.
“Over the past few months of working on the innovation cell and seeing how many of our Airmen have come out and volunteered to help create the innovation cell has shown a lot of interest in helping to improve the Air Force and their work centers,” says Brechbuhl. “When it comes to our Airmen and improving our mission, give an Airman an inch and they’ll return a mile.”
Airmen can get in contact or submit their ideas to the innovation lab by visiting palmettospark.org or by just walking in. The innovation lab is located inside the Charleston Club on the Air Base at Joint Base Charleston.