Father Of TV Remote Control Dies

Couch Potatoes of the world are in mourning today as one of the fathers of the TV remote control died at age 93. Robert Adler in vented the Zenith Space Command and TV was never the same.

For those who may not remember, Space Command was a futuristic looking hand held box with two buttons, one for channel up and one for channel down. What the buttons did was activate a spring that struck a small metal chime. This chime emitted a very high frequency ping that signaled the TV to move one channel up or down. Crude, yes by today's standards, but back in the 1950'a being able to click that button and watch the dial move was magic.

Adler shared the title with Eugene Polley who invented the flashmatic remote. It was an optical device that triggered a photo cell on the TV to do the same task.

Both received an Emmy in 1997 for their combined inventions which led to the modern remote control. So next time you reach for that remote rather then get up to change the channel, thank Adler and Polley!