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| Photo Credit: BBC News |
Wednesday, 23 May 2012
News Report: TV Remote Control Inventor Eugene Polley Dies At 96
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| Eugene Polle; Photo Credit: AP |
Credit: BBC News
The inventor of the television
remote control has died at the age of 96, his former employer has said.
Zenith Electronics said Eugene
Polley passed away of natural causes on Sunday at a Chicago hospital.
His 1955 invention, Flash-Matic,
pointed a beam of light at photo cells on each corner of the TV, turning it off
and on and changing the channels.
His invention was a luxury add-on in
the days before hundreds of cable television channels.
Born in Chicago in 1915, Polley
began his engineering career in 1935. He worked at Zenith for 47 years, earning
18 US patents.
The Flash-Matic preceded sonic and
infrared TV remotes.
He was a long-time resident of
Lombard, Illinois, outside Chicago.
Because the Flash-Matic used light
to operate the television, it was temperamental and other lights could interfere
with its operation.
It was followed by sonic-controlled
remotes and then infrared and radio frequency models.
Before Polley's invention, Zenith's
first remote was connected to the television by a wire cord.
Polley was proud of his invention,
Zenith spokesman John Taylor told the Associated Press, showing off the
Flash-Matic to visitors after his retirement.
"He was a proud owner of a
flat-screen TV and modern remote," Mr Taylor added. "He always kept
his original remote control with him."
Along with another Zenith engineer,
Robert Adler, Polley was honoured in 1997 with an Emmy for his work.
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