Remote Control

Invention & Evolution of Everyday Tech

- Shreya Bhattacharya

Hey ya. Time again to look around and find the most used everyday technology and gadgets…and to learn about them. Say, for example, if I ask you, what’s the most taken-for granted gadget that you see around, what will be your response? I tell you, remote controls.

REMOTE CONTROLS: A FORMAL INTRODUCTION

Remote controls are one of the most ubiquitous symbols of our modern technologies. Serious electronics connoisseurs might have a dozen remotes scattered on their coffee tables for their entertainment system. Even those who are less fond of electronics likely have a handful of remotes at their disposal, controlling everything from TVs and air conditioners to car door locks. And of course, all of us probably have at least one or two remotes permanently lost amid an army of dust bunnies under the couch!! But alas! These rectangular objects are hardly talked about when it comes to their history and invention. No one cares to know when and how they evolved.

Although remotes are most closely linked to television control in popular culture, these devices actually predate TV. In fact, remote controls are an invention born in the 1800s.

HISTORY:

Renowned Serbian-American inventor Nikola Tesla created one of the world’s first wireless remote controls, which he unveiled at Madison Square Garden in New York City in 1898. He called his fledgling system, which could be used to control a range of mechanical contraptions, a “teleautomaton”. For his demonstration, Tesla employed a miniature boat controlled by radio waves. The boat had a small metal antenna that could receive exactly one radio frequency.