Wireless Remote Control [IP Corner]

The article "Channel surfing redux" [ibid., Vol 1, no 4, Oct 2012] about the coinventors of the original wireless remote control (RC) technologies was inspired as a tribute to the recent passing of Eugene Polley. Within the IEEE Consumer Electronics (CE) Society, we are lucky to have an IEEE Fellow and longtime volunteer within our Society who worked with both Polley and Robert Adler. Adler invented an alternative technology for wireless RC at almost the same time. It is perhaps not surprising that there was occasional conflict between the two, but both made a significant contribution to consumer electronics technology at that time, and this issue of IEEE Consumer Electronics Magazine is themed around their work. As a compliment to the main article on the history and background of the original television RC, the author investigates the technologies behind both Flash-Matic (Polley) and Space Command (Adler) RCs.