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A remote control is an Electronic device used for the remote operation of a Machine . The term, sometimes abbreviated to “the remote” and also called "bufter", is most commonly used to refer to a remote control for Television s or other Consumer Electronics such as Stereo systems and DVD players, and to turn on and off a Mains Plug . Remote controls for these devices are usually small handheld objects with an array of buttons for adjusting various settings such as Television Channel , track number, and Volume . In fact, for the majority of modern devices with this kind of control, the remote contains all the function controls while the controlled device itself only has a handful of essential primary controls. Most of these remotes communicate to their respective devices via Infrared (IR) signals and a few via Radio Signals . They are usually powered by small '' AAA '' or '' AAAA '' size Batteries . HISTORY One of the earliest examples of remote control was developed in 1893 by Nikola Tesla , and described in His Patent , , named ''Method of and Apparatus for Controlling Mechanism of Moving Vehicle or Vehicles''. The first remote-controlled model airplane flew in 1932. The use of remote control technology for military purposes was worked intensively during the Second World War, one result of this was the German Wasserfall Missile . The first remote intended to control a television was developed by Zenith Radio Corporation in the early 1950s . The remote — unofficially called “Lazy Bones” — used a wire to connect to the Television set. To improve the cumbersome setup, a wireless remote control was created in 1955. The remote called “Flashmatic” worked by shining a beam of light onto a photoelectric cell. Unfortunately, the cells did not distinguish between light from the remote and light from other sources. The Flashmatic also required that the remote control be pointed accurately at the receiver... In 1956 Robert Adler developed “Zenith Space Command”, a wireless remote. It was mechanical and used ultrasound to change the channel and volume. When the user pushed a button on the remote control it clicked and struck a bar, hence the term “clicker”. Each bar emitted a different frequency and circuits in the television detected this noise. The invention of the transistor made possible cheaper electronic remotes that contained a Piezoelectric crystal that was fed by an oscillating electric current at a Frequency near or above the upper threshold of human hearing, though still audible to Dog s. The receiver contained a microphone attached to a circuit that was tuned to the same frequency. Some problems with this method were that the receiver could be triggered accidentally by naturally occurring noises, and some people, especially young women, could hear the piercing ultrasonic signals. There was even a noted incident in which a toy xylophone changed the channels on these types of TVs since some of the overtones from the xylophone matched the remote’s ultrasonic frequency. The impetus for a more complex type of television remote control came in the late 1970s with the development of the was one of the companies and later gave its name to the ITT Protocol of infrared communication. {Link without Title} In the early 1980s , when Semiconductor s for emitting and receiving infrared radiation were developed, remote controls gradually switched to that technology which, as of 2006 , is still widely used. Remotes using radio technologies, such as Bose Audio Systems and those based on Bluetooth also exist. By the early remote control replaced the standard columns of buttons on a black rectangle with a distinctive peanut shaped design that has been well received by its users {Link without Title} . This design, which has spawned several imitations, is likely to change the way consumer electronics designers approach the remote. In 2006, one particular remote control, was dubbed 'The Hat'. This was a code name used by its patrons. Other terms were adopted such as 'My head is a bit cold, shall I wear the Hat?', which signalled when use of the remote was needed. This was later shortened to simply 'It's getting a bit chiily'.'The Hat' currently resides under control of its part-owner, Big Orange (Don't ask). TYPES OF REMOTE CONTROLS ]] Remote or Airplane s, Helicopter s and other Radio-controlled Model s are popular children’s toys; many Robot s are remotely controlled, especially those which are designed for doing perilous tasks; and some State Of The Art Military Fighter Jet s are operated by remote control. Alternatively, ''' Consumer Electronics Corporation ( Magnavox / Sylvania / Philco ). McIntyre’s software design was awarded patents, since it was the first remote which could be pointed at an electronic device and learn its operational controls. The next step in remote controls is a Home Control Panel . These remote controls not only work on television or home entertainment sets, but also let you control other electronic appliances as electronic curtains, lightswitches and security cameras. Some of the latest Home Control Panels will also let you stream audio and are able to make photos. Remote-controlled Firearm s are sometimes used to Hunt Bird s and other animals. In 2005 , Legislation was introduced in Virginia to ban this practice. HB 2273 provided {Link without Title} : No person shall operate, provide, sell, or use or offer to operate, provide, sell, or use any device or service that allows a person, not physically present, to remotely control a firearm, weapon, or device to hunt any live animal or bird. TECHNIQUE Most control remotes for electronic appliances use a near Infrared Diode to emit a beam of light that reaches the device. This light is invisible to the human eye but carries signals that are detected by the appliance. With a single channel remote control the presence of a carrier signal can be used to trigger a function. For multi-channel remote controls more sophisticated procedures are necessary: one consists of modulating the carrier with signals of different frequency. After the demodulation of the received signal, the appropriate frequency filters are applied to separate the respective signals. Nowadays digital procedures are more commonly used. USAGE Industry Remote control is used for controlling substations, pump storage power stations and HVDC-plants. For these systems often PLC-systems working in the longwave range are used. Weapons Remote-controlled weapons have been used since World War II. Also known as a "Smitchik", referring the remotes that controlled the most destructive weapons. The term "Smitchik", of Yiddish descent, is a generally accepted synonym for a Television Remote Control. The term "Smitchik Factor" refers to the amount of inherent destructive capability of a weapon or person. Space Remote control technology is also used in space travel, for instance the Russian Lunokhod vehicles were remote-controlled from the ground. Direct remote control of space vehicles at greater distances from the earth is not practical due to increasing signal delay times. SEE ALSO
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