Editing Remote control (section)

==History==
{{See|Radio control#History}}
Wired and wireless remote control was developed in the latter half of the 19th century to meet the need to control unmanned vehicles (for the most part military torpedoes).<ref>H. R. Everett, Unmanned Systems of World Wars I and II, MIT Press - 2015, pages 79-80</ref> These included a wired version by German engineer [[Werner von Siemens]] in 1870, and radio controlled ones by British engineer Ernest Wilson and C. J. Evans (1897)<ref>H. R. Everett, Unmanned Systems of World Wars I and II, MIT Press - 2015, page 87</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fNjgCgAAQBAJ&q=Wilson+1897+Torpedo&pg=PA87|title=Unmanned Systems of World Wars I and II|isbn=9780262029223|last1=Everett|first1=H. R.|date=6 November 2015|publisher=MIT Press }}</ref> and a prototype that inventor [[Nikola Tesla]] demonstrated in New York in 1898.<ref>[[Tapan K. Sarkar]], '' History of wireless'', John Wiley and Sons, 2006, {{ISBN|0-471-71814-9}}, p. 276-278.</ref> In 1903 Spanish engineer [[Leonardo Torres Quevedo]] introduced a radio based control system called the "''Telekino''" at the [[Paris Academy of Sciences]],<ref>Sarkar 2006, page 97</ref> which he hoped to use to control a [[Astra-Torres airship|dirigible airship]] of his own design. Unlike previous “on/off” techniques, the ''Telekino'' was able to execute a finite but not limited set of different mechanical actions using a single [[communication channel]].<ref name="Yuste2008">A. P. Yuste. [https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/4e50/0c55919cb5188ea379033bde77ac7aa2de2b.pdf Electrical Engineering Hall of Fame. Early Developments of Wireless Remote Control: The Telekino of Torres-Quevedo],(pdf) vol. 96, No. 1, January 2008, Proceedings of the IEEE.</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=1902 – Telekine (Telekino) – Leonardo Torres Quvedo (Spanish)|date=2010-12-17|url=https://cyberneticzoo.com/early-robot-enabling-technologies/1902-telekine-telekino-leonardo-torres-quevedo-spanish/}}</ref> From 1904 to 1906 Torres chose to conduct ''Telekino'' testings in the form of a [[Tricycle|three-wheeled land vehicle]] with an effective range of 20 to 30 meters, and guiding a manned electrically powered [[boat]], which demonstrated a standoff range of 2 kilometers.<ref>H. R. Everett, Unmanned Systems of World Wars I and II, MIT Press - 2015, pages 91-95</ref> The first remote-controlled model airplane flew in 1932,{{citation needed|date=November 2021}} and the use of remote control technology for military purposes was worked on intensively during the [[Second World War]], one result of this being the German [[Wasserfall missile]].

[[File:PhilcoMysteryRadioRemoteControl CBCMuseum.png|thumb|[[Philco]] Mystery Control (1939)]]

By the late 1930s, several radio manufacturers offered remote controls for some of their higher-end models.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xSgDAAAAMBAJ&q=Popular+Science+1931+plane&pg=PA78|title=Radio Aims At Remote Control|date=November 1930|work=Popular Science|publisher=Bonnier Corporation}}</ref> Most of these were connected to the set being controlled by wires, but the [[Philco]] Mystery Control (1939) was a battery-operated low-frequency radio transmitter,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://philcoradio.com/repairbench/mystery/index.htm|title=Philco Mystery Control}}</ref> thus making it the first wireless remote control for a consumer electronics device. Using pulse-count modulation, this also was the first digital wireless remote control.

===Television remote controls===
[[File:Circa 1950's Television Remote Control made by Motorola.jpg|thumb|1950s TV Remote by [[Motorola]]]]
[[File:SABA-corded-TV-remote-left.jpg|thumb|alt=A photo of a SABA TV remote with cord attached|[[SABA (electronics manufacturer)|SABA]] corded TV remote]]
One of the first remote intended to control a television was developed by [[Zenith Electronics Corporation|Zenith Radio Corporation]] in 1950. The remote, called Lazy Bones,<ref name="metv.com">{{cite web|url=https://www.metv.com/stories/a-history-of-the-television-remote-control-as-told-through-its-advertising|title=A history of the TV remote control as told through its advertising|website=Me-TV Network|access-date=17 August 2018}}</ref> was connected to the [[television]] by a wire. A wireless remote control, the [[Zenith Flash-matic|Flash-Matic]],<ref name="metv.com"/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.zenith.com/remote-background/|title=Remote Background - Zenith Electronics|website=zenith.com|access-date=17 August 2018}}</ref> was developed in 1955 by [[Eugene Polley]]. It worked by shining a beam of light onto one of four [[Solar cell|photoelectric cells]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cnet.com/pictures/remembering-eugene-polley-and-his-flash-matic-remote-photos/|title=Remembering Eugene Polley and his Flash-Matic remote (photos)|date=23 May 2012|website=cnet.com|access-date=17 August 2018}}</ref> but the cell did not distinguish between light from the remote and light from other sources.<ref name="theregister.co.uk">{{cite web|url=https://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/05/23/remote_control_inventor_eugene_polley/|title=Wireless remote control inventor zaps out at 96|website=theregister.co.uk|access-date=17 August 2018}}</ref> The Flashmatic also had to be pointed very precisely at one of the sensors in order to work.<ref name="theregister.co.uk"/><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.zenith.com/sub_about/about_remote.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080116212531/http://www.zenith.com/sub_about/about_remote.html |archive-date=January 16, 2008 |title=Five Decades of Channel Surfing: History of the TV Remote Control |access-date=December 3, 2008}}</ref>

[[Image:Zenith Space Commander 600.jpg|thumb|200px|right|The ''Zenith Space Commander Six hundred'' remote control]]
In 1956, [[Robert Adler]] developed Zenith Space Command, a wireless remote.<ref name="metv.com"/><ref name=Farhi>Farhi, Paul. [https://web.archive.org/web/20180817031653/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/02/16/AR2007021602102.html "The Inventor Who Deserves a Sitting Ovation."] ''Washington Post''. February 17, 2007.</ref><ref name="Verge">{{Cite news |last=Marino |first=Andrew |date=2023-07-29 |title=The buttons on Zenith's original "clicker" remote were a mechanical marvel |url=https://www.theverge.com/23810061/zenith-space-command-remote-control-button-of-the-month |access-date=2023-08-07 |website=The Verge |language=en-US}}</ref> It was mechanical and used ultrasound to change the channel and volume.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/30/magazine/30Adler-t.html|title=The Lives They Lived - Robert Adler - Remote Control - Television|first=Jon|last=Gertner|newspaper=The New York Times|date=December 30, 2007|access-date=17 August 2018}}</ref><ref name="Verge"/> When the user pushed a button on the remote control, it struck a bar and clicked, hence they were commonly called "clickers", and the mechanics were similar to a [[plectrum|pluck]].<ref name="Verge"/><ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.wired.com/2007/10/vg-greatestgadget/|title=1956: Zenith Space Commander Remote Control|magazine=Wired|access-date=17 August 2018}}</ref> Each of the four bars emitted a different fundamental frequency with ultrasonic harmonics, and circuits in the television detected these sounds and interpreted them as channel-up, channel-down, sound-on/off, and power-on/off.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://lemelson.mit.edu/resources/robert-adler|title=Robert Adler -TV wireless remote|publisher=MIT |access-date=13 April 2021}}</ref>

Later, the rapid decrease in price of [[transistor]]s made possible cheaper [[electronics|electronic]] remotes that contained a [[Piezoelectricity|piezoelectric]] crystal that was fed by an [[Oscillation|oscillating]] electric current at a [[frequency]] near or above the upper threshold of [[Hearing (sense)|human hearing]], though still audible to [[dog]]s. The receiver contained a [[microphone]] attached to a circuit that was tuned to the same frequency. Some problems with this method were that the receiver could be triggered accidentally by naturally occurring noises or deliberately by metal against glass, for example, and some people could hear the lower ultrasonic harmonics.

[[File:RCA RCU403.jpg|thumb|150px|An [[RCA]] universal remote]]
In 1970, [[RCA]] introduced an all-electronic remote control that uses [[digital signal]]s and [[metal–oxide–semiconductor field-effect transistor]] (MOSFET) [[semiconductor memory|memory]]. This was widely adopted for [[color television]], replacing motor-driven tuning controls.<ref>{{cite journal |title=Remote control for color tv goes the all-electronic route |journal=[[Electronics (magazine)|Electronics]] |date=April 1970 |volume=43 |page=102 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rFJJAQAAIAAJ |publisher=McGraw-Hill Publishing Company |quote=RCA's Wayne Evans, Carl Moeller and Edward Milbourn tell how digital signals and MOS FET memory modules are used to replace motor-driven tuning controls}}</ref>

The impetus for a more complex type of television remote control came in 1973, with the development of the [[Ceefax]] [[teletext]] service by the [[BBC]]. Most commercial remote controls at that time had a limited number of functions, sometimes as few as three: next channel, previous channel, and volume/off. This type of control did not meet the needs of Teletext sets, where pages were identified with three-digit numbers. A remote control that selects Teletext pages would need buttons for each numeral from zero to nine, as well as other control functions, such as switching from text to picture, and the normal television controls of volume, channel, brightness, color intensity, etc. Early Teletext sets used wired remote controls to select pages, but the continuous use of the remote control required for Teletext quickly indicated the need for a wireless device. So BBC engineers began talks with one or two television manufacturers, which led to early prototypes in around 1977–1978 that could control many more functions. [[ITT Corporation|ITT]] was one of the companies and later gave its name to the ITT protocol of infrared communication.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sbprojects.com/knowledge/ir/itt.php |title=SB-Projects: IR remote control: ITT protocol}}</ref>

[[Image:Remote controls.JPG|thumb|center|680px|[[TV]], [[VHS]] and [[DVD]] Remote controls]]
In 1980, the most popular remote control was the ''Starcom Cable TV Converter'' (from [[Jerrold Electronics]], a division of [[General Instrument]])<ref name="metv.com"/>{{Failed verification|date=May 2025}} which used 40-kHz sound to change channels. Then, a Canadian company, Viewstar, Inc., was formed by engineer Paul Hrivnak and started producing a cable TV [[Cable converter box|converter]] with an infrared remote control. The product was sold through Philips for approximately $190 [[Canadian dollar|CAD]]. The Viewstar converter was an immediate success, the millionth converter being sold on March 21, 1985, with 1.6 million sold by 1989.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://tedium.co/2017/05/25/universal-remote-control-history/|title=Universal Remote Control History: Not Great, Just Good Enough|date=26 May 2017|website=tedium.co|access-date=17 August 2018}}</ref><ref>"Philips tops in converters". ''The Toronto Star'': p. F03. November 29, 1980.</ref>

===Other remote controls===
The Blab-off was a wired remote control created in 1952 that turned a TV's (television) sound on or off so that viewers could avoid hearing commercials.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.earlytelevision.org/blab_off.html|title=Blab-Off|work=earlytelevision.org}}</ref> In the 1980s [[Steve Wozniak]] of [[Apple Inc.|Apple]] started a company named [[CL 9]]. The purpose of this company was to create a remote control that could operate multiple electronic devices. The CORE unit (Controller Of Remote Equipment) was introduced in the fall of 1987. The advantage to this remote controller was that it could "learn" remote signals from different devices. It had the ability to perform specific or multiple functions at various times with its built-in clock. It was the first remote control that could be linked to a computer and loaded with updated software code as needed. The CORE unit never made a huge impact on the market. It was much too cumbersome for the average user to program, but it received rave reviews from those who could.{{citation needed|date=December 2011}} These obstacles eventually led to the demise of CL 9, but two of its employees continued the business under the name Celadon. This was one of the first computer-controlled learning remote controls on the market.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.celadon.com/Profile/Profile.html|title=Celadon Remote Control Systems Company Profile Page}}</ref>

In the 1990s, cars were increasingly sold with electronic remote control door locks. These remotes transmit a signal to the car which locks or unlocks the door locks or unlocks the trunk. An aftermarket device sold in some countries is the remote starter. This enables a car owner to remotely start their car. This feature is most associated with countries with winter climates, where users may wish to run the car for several minutes before they intend to use it, so that the car heater and defrost systems can remove ice and snow from the windows.

===Proliferation===
[[File:Remote Controls for sale in Hong Kong.JPG|thumb|right|300px|Used remote controls for sale in a market in [[Hong Kong]]]]
By the early 2000s, the number of consumer electronic devices in most homes greatly increased, along with the number of remotes to control those devices. According to the [[Consumer Electronics Association]], an average US home has four remotes.{{citation needed|date=December 2011}} To operate a [[home cinema|home theater]] as many as five or six remotes may be required, including one for cable or satellite receiver, [[VCR]] or [[digital video recorder]] (DVR/PVR), [[DVD player]], [[Television|TV]] and [[audio amplifier]]. Several of these remotes may need to be used sequentially for some programs or services to work properly. However, as there are no accepted interface guidelines, the process is increasingly cumbersome. One solution used to reduce the number of remotes that have to be used is the [[universal remote]], a remote control that is programmed with the operation codes for most major brands of TVs, DVD players, etc. In the early 2010s, many [[smartphone]] manufacturers began incorporating infrared emitters into their devices, thereby enabling their use as universal remotes via an included or downloadable [[Mobile app|app]].<ref>{{cite web|last1=Seifert|first1=Dan|title=Back from the dead: why do 2013's best smartphones have IR blasters?|url=https://www.theverge.com/2013/4/24/4262074/is-this-the-year-of-the-ir-blaster|website=The Verge|date=April 24, 2013|access-date=28 December 2015}}</ref>