HRL Labs

In Iron Man, genius inventor Tony Stark spends his days tinkering in the workshop of his futuristic seside Malibu mansion, refining technology he hopes can save the world while staring out at a glistening Point Dume beach. Many a tourist has been disappointed to learn that the home is not real, a CGI creation. A little further south from Point Dume, however, and you’ll find a real-life hive of innovation and invention, not to mention a few geniuses: the HRL Laboratories.

To be clear, HRL Laboratories is no Stark Industries. Even compared to companies that actually exist, the research center and laboratory enjoys a relatively low profile, mainly developing technology for the automotive and aerospace industry, the kinds of products that aren’t generally rolled out to consumer fanfare. Even the entrance to the lab’s sprawling campus in the mountains above downtown Malibu is disappointingly innocuous.

But don’t be deceived; HRL Laboratories is one of the most interesting and histor- ic places in Malibu. For evidence of this, look no further than its name: Hughes Research Laboratories. That Hughes refers to no other than Howard Hughes (below), one of the most famous and controversial figures in American history.

The business magnate founded HRL Laboratories in the 1950s, using it as the research arm of Hughes Aircraft Company, his aerospace company. In the late 1960s, Hughes decided to move the company from Culver City to Malibu, commissioning Los Angeles architect Ernest Lee to build two massive white and glass buildings in the hills near Malibu Canyon. HRL Laboratories’ Malibu headquarters officially opened in 1960, and remains at the location to this day.

Early major breakthroughs at the lab included the invention of the first working model of the laser, created in 1961 by engineer Theodore Maiman, and one of the earliest iterations of the atomic clock.

In 1985, Hughes sold his Hughes Aircraft Company, at which point its new owner, General Motors, took control of HRL Laboratories. In 2000, Boeing also became a co-owner.Today, HRL Laboratories employs approximately 300 people out of its Malibu facility, and counts innovations such as presenting the first stabilized outdoor augmented reality system.