Who is Eugene Polley?

Eugene Polley was an American inventor who created (1955) the first wireless television remote-control system, (the light-activated Flash-Matic) while working in the engineering department at Zenith Radio Corp. (later Zenith Electronics Corp.). His gadget (30,000 units were sold) was overtaken the following year, by co-worker Robert Adler’s Space Command device, which used ultrasound radio frequencies to communicate simple commands to the TV set.

Polley’s contributions to the technology were acknowledged when he and Adler received (on behalf of Zenith) an Emmy Award (1997) for the development of the wireless remote. Polley (who began working at Zenith in 1935 as a parts clerk climbed through the engineering ranks and collected 18 patents during his career. He retired in 1982.