Pacific Air Forces' innovation lab ‘The Dojo’ now open

By Staff Sgt. Taylor A. Workman, 374th Airlift Wing Public Affairs / Published September 30, 2020

PHOTO DETAILS / DOWNLOAD HI-RES 1 of 7

Master Sgt. Kenneth Martin, 753rd Special Operations Aircraft Maintenance Squadron production superintendent puts augmented reality goggles on Col. Andrew Campbell, 374th Airlift Wing commander, in the newly-opened innovation lab at Yokota Air Base, Japan, Sept. 25, 2020. Although newly created and opened, 'The Dojo' is stocked with top-tier technology such as AR, 3D printers, prototyping software, and reverse-engineering tools. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Taylor A. Workman)

PHOTO DETAILS / DOWNLOAD HI-RES 2 of 7

Finley Wilson, son of Master Sgt. Daniel Wilson, 5th Air Force intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance and cyber effects operations superintendent, plays with a 3D print of a CV-22 Osprey in the newly-opened innovation lab at Yokota Air Base, Japan, Sept. 25, 2020. The lab is a dedicated space filled with tools and resources to collaboratively solve problems. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Taylor A. Workman)

PHOTO DETAILS / DOWNLOAD HI-RES 3 of 7

A pair of augmented reality goggles show an animated robot floating above a desktop in the newly-opened innovation lab at Yokota Air Base, Japan, Sept. 25, 2020. Although AR has been marketed through the lens of gaming and entertainment, its practical application in the workplace is increasing every day. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Taylor A. Workman)

PHOTO DETAILS / DOWNLOAD HI-RES 4 of 7

Master Sgt. Kenneth Martin, 753rd Special Operations Aircraft Maintenance Squadron production superintendent, reaches for an Arduino in the the Dojo, a newly-opened innovation lab at Yokota Air Base, Japan, Sept. 25, 2020. An Arduino allows users to prototype or create electronic systems and is just one of the many tools available in the innovation lab. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Taylor A. Workman)

PHOTO DETAILS / DOWNLOAD HI-RES 5 of 7

Joshua Grubb, 374th Contracting Squadron director of specialized contracting, uses the dedicated brainstorming space of the newly-opened innovation lab at Yokota Air Base, Japan, Sept. 25, 2020. The lab is presented by YokoWERX, the first AFWERX spark cell in mainland Japan. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Taylor A. Workman)

PHOTO DETAILS / DOWNLOAD HI-RES 6 of 7

Kayoko Seta, 374th Contracting Squadron contracting specialist, experiences augmented reality for the first time in the newly-opened innovation lab at Yokota Air Base, Japan, Sept. 25, 2020. The Dojo is now open for business as the installation's hub for problem-solving. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Taylor A. Workman)

PHOTO DETAILS / DOWNLOAD HI-RES 7 of 7

Staff Sgt. Gerard Arceneaux, founder of YokoWERX and 374th Force Support Squadron manpower analyst, shows Col. Andrew Campbell, 374th Airlift Wing commander, a 3D design in the newly-opened innovation lab at Yokota Air Base, Japan, Sept. 25, 2020. The lab is a dedicated space filled with tools and resources to collaboratively solve problems. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Taylor A. Workman)

YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan --

The Pacific Air Forces added a new innovation lab to its roster Sept. 25, 2020 at Yokota Air Base, Japan.

Wing leadership and members of the base attended a soft opening of the Dojo, which is the installation’s new hub for problem-solving. The lab is supported by YokoWERX, a spark cell inspired by the innovation model for the Air Force, AFWERX.

The YokoWERX team is composed of enlisted and officer Airmen, government civilians and a Japanese Air Self Defense Force member. They all volunteer their time and talents to establish the Dojo and maintain it as the first AFWERX lab in Japan.

“Yokota had a need for a dedicated space to collaboratively solve problems,” said Staff Sgt. Gerard Arceneaux, founder of YokoWERX and 374th Force Support Squadron manpower analyst. “We’ve created that space, filled it with top-of-the-line tools, and a team of technical and creative experts to help foster ideas.”

With goals to guide and mentor a community of over 12,000, the team has designed the collaborative space to be a one-stop-shop for accelerating change.

“Our function is to get homegrown ideas noticed, developed and instituted in a way that doesn’t get bogged down by the normal chain of command,” said Lt. Col. Tobby Evans, 374th Airlift Wing innovation officer. “The Dojo will be open to all base personnel who have a project that would benefit our community.”

The team has already put their gadgets and skillsets to use by 3D printing over 300 hand-extension tools, designed to keep hands away from high-touch surfaces like ATM key pads, elevator buttons and public door handles. These ‘COVID keys’ were the first step in marketing the capabilities of the Dojo while addressing the need for upholding public health protection measures on base.

“You don’t have to be a visionary and you don’t need technical expertise,” said Jacob Love, gaining YokoWERX team lead and 374th Contracting Squadron contracting specialist. “We want to provide opportunities for people with ideas to meet people with skillsets and bridge that connection to solve problems.”

According to Love, this pathway system is designed to be a collaborative and comfortable way to make effective and lasting change. Anyone is welcome to join and see how far Yokota, as a community, can go together.

If you wish to comment, use the text box below. AF reserves the right to modify this policy at any time.

This is a moderated forum. That means all comments will be reviewed before posting. In addition, we expect that participants will treat each other, as well as our agency and our employees, with respect. We will not post comments that contain abusive or vulgar language, spam, hate speech, personal attacks, violate EEO policy, are offensive to other or similar content. We will not post comments that are spam, are clearly "off topic", promote services or products, infringe copyright protected material, or contain any links that don't contribute to the discussion. Comments that make unsupported accusations will also not be posted. The AF and the AF alone will make a determination as to which comments will be posted. Any references to commercial entities, products, services, or other non-governmental organizations or individuals that remain on the site are provided solely for the information of individuals using this page. These references are not intended to reflect the opinion of the AF, DoD, the United States, or its officers or employees concerning the significance, priority, or importance to be given the referenced entity, product, service, or organization. Such references are not an official or personal endorsement of any product, person, or service, and may not be quoted or reproduced for the purpose of stating or implying AF endorsement or approval of any product, person, or service.

Any comments that report criminal activity including: suicidal behaviour or sexual assault will be reported to appropriate authorities including OSI. This forum is not:

This forum is not to be used to report criminal activity. If you have information for law enforcement, please contact OSI or your local police agency.
Do not submit unsolicited proposals, or other business ideas or inquiries to this forum. This site is not to be used for contracting or commercial business.
This forum may not be used for the submission of any claim, demand, informal or formal complaint, or any other form of legal and/or administrative notice or process, or for the exhaustion of any legal and/or administrative remedy.

AF does not guarantee or warrant that any information posted by individuals on this forum is correct, and disclaims any liability for any loss or damage resulting from reliance on any such information. AF may not be able to verify, does not warrant or guarantee, and assumes no liability for anything posted on this website by any other person. AF does not endorse, support or otherwise promote any private or commercial entity or the information, products or services contained on those websites that may be reached through links on our website.

Members of the media are asked to send questions to the public affairs through their normal channels and to refrain from submitting questions here as comments. Reporter questions will not be posted. We recognize that the Web is a 24/7 medium, and your comments are welcome at any time. However, given the need to manage federal resources, moderating and posting of comments will occur during regular business hours Monday through Friday. Comments submitted after hours or on weekends will be read and posted as early as possible; in most cases, this means the next business day.

For the benefit of robust discussion, we ask that comments remain "on-topic." This means that comments will be posted only as it relates to the topic that is being discussed within the blog post. The views expressed on the site by non-federal commentators do not necessarily reflect the official views of the AF or the Federal Government.

To protect your own privacy and the privacy of others, please do not include personally identifiable information, such as name, Social Security number, DoD ID number, OSI Case number, phone numbers or email addresses in the body of your comment. If you do voluntarily include personally identifiable information in your comment, such as your name, that comment may or may not be posted on the page. If your comment is posted, your name will not be redacted or removed. In no circumstances will comments be posted that contain Social Security numbers, DoD ID numbers, OSI case numbers, addresses, email address or phone numbers. The default for the posting of comments is "anonymous", but if you opt not to, any information, including your login name, may be displayed on our site.

Thank you for taking the time to read this comment policy. We encourage your participation in our discussion and look forward to an active exchange of ideas.