Robert Adler is referred to as the “Father of the Television Remote Control.” He possesses 180 patents for electrical devices with esoteric to banal applications. At the age of 24, Adler earned a Ph.D. in Physics from the University of Vienna (1937). He relocated to America shortly thereafter and worked for Zenith Electronics Corporation’s Research division (then Zenith Radio Corporation).
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During WWII, Adler specialized in high-frequency oscillators and electromechanical filters for aircraft radios. Adler used this study to examine the use of surface acoustic waves in frequency filters for color television sets in the 1960s. Acoustic wave technology is now required for both television and computer screens.
After the war, Adler focused on television technology. Adler’s “gated-beam” vacuum tube reduced most of the sound interference in television receivers, cutting expenses. Dr. Adler also headed the team that developed an enhanced reception system for television stations beyond their broadcast region. The wireless remote control was Adler’s greatest success.
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Zenith’s creator, Eugene F. McDonald Jr., believed that consumers wanted to be able to bypass ads. Zenith created the “Lazy Bones” TV remote in 1950, based on this notion. Zenith’s less agile consumers found the remote’s cable a danger, and the remote’s on/off and channel-changing functionality were mediocre. Zenith introduced the “Flashmatic” in 1955, a wireless remote controlled by a flashlight aimed at photocells in the TV cabinet’s corners. Sadly, the photocells responded to both light and remote.
He proposed having the remote “connect” with the TV via sound, especially ultrasonic, frequencies higher than the human ear can hear. Adler’s remote control device was simple and didn’t need batteries. The buttons tapped one of four light metal rods within the machine, like piano keys. They were read as channel up, down, sound on/off, or power on/off by the TV’s receiver. The required 30% cost rise was initially difficult for customers, but the system’s appeal was undeniable.
Adler improved his method in the 1960s to produce ultrasonic signals electrically. Over the following two decades, the ultrasonic TV remote control became a common television accessory. By the early 1980s, Zenith and others had sold over nine million TVs using Adler’s remote control system. By 1963, Adler was Vice President and Director of Research at Zenith, where he remained until 1997. Adler received several honors, including the IEEE’s Edison Medal (1980). He died in 2007.
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