In The News

Inventor of TV remote control passes away

Inventor of TV remote control passes away

TRIBUTES have been paid to Eugene Polley who invented the television remote control. He was 96.

When Mr. Polley came up with his invention in 1955 it was a luxury add-on which people could order when purchasing a TV set. Today with hundreds of television stations available the remote control is an essential tool.

Mr. Polley had developed his device for the Zenith Electronics company. The first version of the remote, which was marketed as the Flash-Matic, controlled television by sending a beam of light to photo cells in the corner of the TV. The modern versions use infrared to select channels and services.

During World War II, Mr. Polley helped develop radar systems for the U.S. military.

During his long career with Zenith, he worked on developing push-button technology for car radios and the first generation of video disks.

Mr. Polley was to spend 47 years working for Zenith. By the end of his career he had developed inventions which had been granted 18 U.S. patents.

 

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