Eugene Polley obit

The couch potato's hero: Inventor of the world's first remote television control dies

 

He was not on the list.

The man who created a million couch potatoes has died.

Eugene Polley invented the world's first wireless television remote.

He died of natural causes on Sunday at the age of 96 at the Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital in Downers Grove, Illinois.

Mr Polley started his 47-year career at Zenith, earning the company some of its greatest achievements, with the invention of two wireless remotes in 1955 and 1956.

His first job was as a stockroom worker, then he moved to the parts department where he developed the company catalogue.

During World War II, Mr Polley worked on radar advancements for the U.S. department of defense.

But it was only time until his quick mind turned to commercial engineering and eventually his greatest invention, the world's first TV zapper.

The Flash-Matic was introduced in 1955 and 'used a flashlight-like device to activate photo cells on the television set to change channels'.

The device, which was sold with Zenith television sets, could turn the picture on and off, as well as the sound, and turn the channel tuner clockwise or anticlockwise so the viewer could switch programmes without disturbing their TV dinners.

Primetime television only had three channels at the time but that didn't stop consumers snapping up the nifty gadget.

One of the Flash-Matic's major selling points was that you could mute advertisements, which Zenith president and founder, Eugene F McDonald, thought were very distracting.

The print advertisement for the gadget states: 'You can even shut off annoying commercials while the picture remains on the screen. Just a flash of light does it.'

The ad also made much of the fact it had no cables, something which would literally trip up the consumers of Zenith's first-ever remote control, Lazy Bones, which was first sold in 1950.

'There are no wires or cords. This is not an accessory. It’s a built-in part of the several new 1956 Zenith Television receivers… [on sale from] $149.95.'

Despite the relatively high cost of the product by today's standards, it is doubtful that Mr Polley made any serious money out of his inventions as Zenith owned all the rights to his patents - some 18 of them.

However, he did get much of the kudos.

Because of the quirky remote, which resembled a space-age flashlight, Mr Polley was given names such as the 'founding father of the couch potato' and the 'beach boy of channel surfing'.

However, his inventions were not faultless.

Bright sunlight falling on the television screen receiver could interfere with the remote functioning, causing the channel to unexpectedly change on sunny days.

As a result, Mr Polley and the other Zenith engineers were ordered to investigate ultrasonic waves.

Thus, the Space Command, which was hailed as a 'next-generation wireless TV remote based on ultrasonic technology', came on the market in 1956.

Space commander: Mr Polley also developed the predecessor of the DVD and the push-button radio

Mr Polley developed the gadget, which could also adjust colour hues, with Dr Robert Adler.

The aluminum rods inside the technology made a sound when used, giving rise to the nickname 'clickers' to describe remote controls.

This technology also had its problems - the high-frequency sounds caused dogs to howl and clinking metal could also set off the receiver, changing channel or sound.

However, the functionality remained in use until the 1980s, when infrared remotes were introduced - another invention aided by Mr Polley's work.

Although there have been a few good attempts, such as Apple's Steve Wozniak's universal remote control and Hillcrest's Loop, which works by human movement, no one has yet replicated the simplicity and neat functionality of the infrared technology.

Mr Polley's quiet achievements didn't stop there.

He is responsible for developing the predecessor of the DVD, the video disc, and the push-button radio.

He was presented with an Emmy award in 1997 for his achievements in engineering.

Mr Polley was born in Chicago in 1915 and was a long-time resident of Lombard, Illinois.

He is survived by his son, Eugene J Polley Jr, grandson Aaron who lives in San Diego. His wife, Blanche, and daughter, Joan, died before he passed away.