The inventor of the first wireless TV remote control, Eugene Polley, has died aged 96. The former Zenith engineer’s invention is arguably one of the most influential on the development of television.

Polley’s Flash-Matic pointed a beam of light at photo cells in the corners of the television screen. Each corner activated a different function, turning the picture and sound off and on, and changing the channels.

Polley and fellow Zenith engineer Robert Adler were honoured in 1997 with an Emmy for their work in pioneering TV remotes. In 2009, he received the Masaru Ibuka consumer electronics award from the Institute of Electronic and Electrical Engineers.

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