The catch phrase "Laziness is the engine of progress" has a completely logical justification. If any work is unavoidable, then you need to think about how to do it with the least effort. Even if this work is to walk a couple of meters and press one button.
Remote control "put America on the sofa"
In 1898, Nikola Tesla filed an application with the US Patent Office and received a certificate No. 613809 for the invention "Method and device for controlling the mechanisms of moving ships and vehicles." It was the first remote control (RC) in history.
Nikola Tesla's boat
Tesla's model boat was made of iron and floated by electric motors. Those, in turn, were powered by rechargeable batteries. But with the help of a radio signal, this power could be reduced or interrupted. The physicist tuned the boat's receiver to certain frequencies so that another radio transmitter could not control it.
The scientist showed the development called "teleautomat" to the public at an exhibition in Madison Square Garden in New York. In the indoor pool, the boat swam at different speeds, performing complex maneuvers. The lamps on its hull flashed and went out, duplicating the actions of the vessel. The people who watched this simply could not believe that with the help of the box - without any cables and wires - the physicist controlled the ship. There were versions that a trained monkey sits inside and presses buttons. And some even thought that Tesla was a magician who could move objects with the power of thought.
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The scientist deliberately did not share the secret of the ship's control, believing that the remote control still needs to be improved. At that time, this technology was considered promising for advanced weapons. In 1903, the Spanish engineer Leonardo Torres Cuivedo presented an invention called Telekino at the Paris Academy of Sciences. It was the simplest robot that executed commands transmitted by electromagnetic waves. Kuyvedo received patents for the controlled robot in France, Spain, Great Britain and the USA. Although Tesla's ship was more perfect. But in 1906, the Spaniard presented a similar radio-controlled boat in the port of Bilbao, which sailed on commands given by a radio remote control. Kuyvedo planned to use his technology to control shells and torpedoes, but the military did not find any practical value in it,and the works were closed.
And yet, in 1932, the United States first launched a model airplane, which was controlled not by the pilot, but by the operator from the ground. Naturally, through the radio control panel.
The designers of Nazi Germany were actively working on radio-controlled models. In particular, the most promising was the design of a radio-controlled model of a surface-to-air missile called Wasserfall.
Lazy Bones
In 1946, the head of the American television company Zenith, Eugene MacDonald, declared that advertising-funded television was doomed. This was due to the fact that Eugene was annoyed by loud commercials interfering with watching the programs. For his part, he challenged the company's engineers to create a device that could reduce the sound on a TV.
In 1950, Zenith engineer Eugene Polly created a device called Lazy Bones - "Lazy Bones", or "Lazy Bones". It was a volume and channel control device connected to the TV with a thick cable. When the toggle switch on the console was turned on, the engine rotated the mechanical channel switch. The company actively advertised the remote, but its cable got tangled underfoot, which made it inconvenient to use. In addition, in the 1950s, there were not many TV channels, and the device turned out to be not very popular.
In 1955, Polly created the world's first wireless remote called Fiashmatic. Outwardly, it resembled a flashlight, the beam of which had to be directed to one of the photodetectors located at the corners of the front of the TV. Moreover, each photocell corresponded to a certain action. Top right - turn up the volume, bottom left - switch channel, etc.
It seemed that the consumer should have accepted the novelty with a bang, but the photo detectors on the panel perceived not only the beam from the remote control, but also ordinary light. Because of what the funny things happened: the sun outside the window switched channels, and the light bulb turned up the volume.
Zenith again began to puzzle. Using radio waves in the console was not the best solution. Firstly, the radio penetrated the walls, and the remote control could switch channels not only from the owner, but also from his neighbors. Lawsuits against the company would be inevitable. In addition, the marketing department stated that the remote should not contain batteries. For the consumer in the event of a battery failure will think that the TV has broken.
As a result, in 1956 another Zenith engineer Robert Adler designed a device that transmitted sound instead of light and radio waves. His Space Commander console used aluminum plates like a tuning fork. When the hammer switch hit them, a high-frequency sound emanated from the remote control, which was decoded by a receiver from vacuum tubes on the TV. For clicks, the remote control, where there were only 4 keys, was nicknamed the clicker by people.
The simpler the better
In the 1960s, Adler improved his brainchild by replacing mechanics with transistors. It was not without a battery. The remote control emitted ultrasound, and the TV caught and recognized it. The device weighed only 200 grams, which was considered a super achievement. The disadvantages of the remote control were the price. He raised the price of the TV by $ 100, which was a third of its cost. Today that amount would be $ 400. Not surprisingly, having a remote control in your home was considered a sign of wealth. Yet Zenith has sold over 9 million Adler remotes. Therefore, it is about him that they say that "this guy put America on the sofa."
In 1985, Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak founded CL9. He wanted to release a universal remote control that would be able to control all electronic devices. He came to this idea, tired of looking for consoles from many electronic devices in his mansion. By the fall of 1987, the CORE (Controller of Remote Equipment), which was programmable for signals from different devices, was ready. Also, the device had a timer that could give out a signal at a certain time. In addition, the console could receive new software through a personal computer.
Alas, Wozniak's novelty, although it was enthusiastically accepted by technocrats, did not cause delight among the ordinary consumer. Programming was too tough for most Americans. The lack of demand led to the dissolution of the CL9, although one of the company's engineers revived it under the Celadon brand.
In the 1990s, touchscreen displays began to be used in remote controls, which first coexisted with buttons, and then began to replace them. Today, remotes control not only the TV, but also a bunch of electronic devices - from the doorbell to the smart home system. Moreover, this is no longer just a box with buttons, but a super-complex electronic device. Thus, the unique range of radio waves inherent in a modern remote control can transmit commands without the risk of being "heard" by another device. Tablets and smartphones, like Wozniak's remote control, today can learn signals from third-party devices and send commands to them. And in 2013, Sony released a remote that understands voice commands. It remains to wait for a remote control capable of understanding thoughts to enter the market. Although the existence of such a remote control would lose its meaning,because the device will be taught to understand the owner's desire even without a remote control.
Magazine: Mysteries of History No. 17, Lev Kaplin