Eugene Polley, inventor of the TV remote, RIP

Media Images 345984-Flash-Matic-Remote

Eugene Polley, inventor of the wireless TV remote control, has died. The former engineer for Zenith was 96. The first TV with the technology, called Flash-Matic tuning, hit stores in 1955. From the AP:

The TV came with a green ray gun-shaped contraption with a red trigger. The advertising promised "TV miracles." The "flash tuner" was "Absolutely harmless to humans!" Most intriguing of all: "You can even shut off annoying commercials while the picture remains on the screen."

"TV Remote Control Inventor Eugene Polley Dies at 96" (Thanks, Bob Pescovitz)

David Pescovitz is Boing Boing's co-editor/managing partner. He's also a research director at Institute for the Future. On Instagram, he's @pesco.

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mtdna

Farewell Mr. Polley. Couch potatoes ’round the world would salute you, sir, if only it didn’t involve standing up.
http://www.matthewpetty.com/ Matthew Petty

“Annoying commercials”? Sounds like this Polley chap was a thief! (if you asked Jamie Kellner)
http://twitter.com/BonzoDog1 BonzoDog1

Our early Sixties Motorola has an ultrasound remote and you could change channels by jangling a set of keys.
morcheeba

I’m going to add “Absolutely harmless to humans!” to the description of all ad copy I write….
penguinchris

Whose idea was it to stop making remote controls look like ray-guns? I mean, seriously?
- http://www.lamidesign.com/plans lava
  
  Really, who was the genius that said, “no more rayguns, lets make our remotes look like a calculator”, because I owe this guy a punch in the throat.
  - http://dailygrail.com/ Red Pill Junkie
    
    It was out of the deluge of complaint letters from angry housewives who kept scolding the hubbies for removing their hair driers from the bathroom ;)
Paul Renault

The oldest/earlist remote I ever saw was a Zenith two-button unit – one for volume, the other channel.

When you pressed a button, the mechanism thwacked a metal rod. The resulting sound was picked up by a microphone in the TV.

It, unlike so many TV remotes, had the great advantage of not needing to be pointed at the why-do-they-put-the-friggin-IR-sensor-at-the-bottom-of-the-frame TV.
- pjcamp
  
  My uncle (a TV repairman) had one of those sets. It was totally awesome. That was way before electronic tuning so there was a little motor attached to the mechanical tuner. Clang the chime and it would start spinning on its own. By the way, it was a three button unit because volume has to go down as well as up. Channels only went in one direction.
  - Culturedropout
    
    Actually, the volume was “On loud Louder LOUDER Off” so one button did it. (I still have the remote from that set.)
    - pjcamp
      
      May have been a slightly different model then. Either way, it made a cheerful plink and commenced moving on its own.
      
      And you, sir, are the world’s biggest packrat. I salute!
      - Culturedropout
        
        Thank you. One day I hope to be two of them.
        
        I remember being about 10 years old, laying on the floor taking apart an old alarm clock. I made it “ring” after I had removed the bell, and the vibration of the striker was apparently close enough for that TV. It came blaring on and changing channels. Scared the crap out of my mother and me…