The History of
Universal
Remote Controls
The first machines to be operated by remote
control were used mainly for military purposes. Radio-controlled motorboats,
developed by the German navy, were used to ram enemy ships in WW I. Radio
controlled bombs and other remote control weapons were used in WW II. Once the
wars were over, United States scientists experimented to find nonmilitary uses
for the remote control. In the late 1940’s automatic garage door openers were
invented, and in the 1950’s the first TV remote controls were used.
First TV Remote Control: The first TV remote
control, called "Lazy Bones," was developed in 1950 by Zenith
Electronics Corporation (then known as Zenith Radio Corporation). Lazy Bones
used a cable that ran from the TV set to the viewer. A motor in the TV set
operated the tuner through the remote control. Although customers liked having
remote control of their television, they complained that people tripped over the
unsightly cable that meandered across the living room floor.
Flashmatic: The
First Wireless TV Remote Zenith engineer Eugene Polley invented the "Flashmatic,"
which represented the industry's first wireless TV remote. Introduced in 1955,
Flashmatic operated by means of four photo  cells,
one in each corner of the TV cabinet around the screen. While it pioneered the
concept of wireless TV remote control, the Flashmatic had some limitations. It
was a simple device that had no protection circuits and, if the TV sat in an
area in which the sun shone directly on it, the tuner might start rotating.
Zenith management loved the concepts proven by
Polley's Flashmatic and directed their engineers to develop a better remote
control. First thoughts pointed to radio. But, because they travel through
walls, radio waves could inadvertently control a TV set in an adjacent apartment
or room.
 Using
distinctive sound signals was discussed, but Zenith engineers believed people
might not like hearing a certain sound that would become characteristic of
operating the TV set through a remote control. It also would be difficult to
find a sound that wouldn't accidentally be duplicated by either household noises
or by the sound coming from TV programming.
Zenith's Dr. Robert
Adler suggested using "ultrasonics," that is, high-frequency sound,
beyond the range of human hearing. He was assigned to lead a team of engineers
to work on the first use of ultrasonics technology in the home as a new approach
for a remote control.
The transmitter used no batteries; it was built
around aluminum rods that were light in weight and, when struck at one end,
emitted distinctive high-frequency sounds. The first such remote control used
four rods, each approximately 2-1/2 inches long: one for channel up, one for
channel down, one for sound on and off and one for power on and off.
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