Introduced by Germans, remote control was initially used during the First World War to direct airplanes and motorboats to crash into enemy ships in an aim to destroy them. After the Second World War, more and more units were put under the control of remote devices starting with garage doors which made life a lot easier for car owners. Soon, handheld devices switched televisions on and off, changed channels and controlled volume.
The first batches of handheld control had cables connected to the unit and to the television. The wires that were in the way must have annoyed users. This prompted manufacturers to develop a wireless remote control which worked effectively by directly pointing the device at the T.V. High frequency sound that transmitted signals was used but further development made an upgrade and utilized infrared radiation (IR) that effectively sent signals back and forth. This is still the most commonly used technology for remotes with the exception of the Bluetooth technology which uses radio-based remotes.
Nowadays, people can’t seem to do without using one or two of these handheld controls with just about every gadget or electronic appliance run by a remote control. Television sets, music systems, DVD players and home theater systems are all easily and conveniently operated with the use of these handheld controls. Additionally, some office appliances, children’s toys and even toys for the big boys may now be controlled using the device. Even some equipment for space explorations and study are controlled this way that helps make work lighter and more efficient.
The principle behind the technology is composed of codes transmitted from sending device to receiving device and back. The receiving device has to recognize the sent code in order to decode it, primarily the reason why each of your home appliances has its own controlling unit which results to too many handheld controls in a living room. This problem is solved by the development of universal remote control. Command codes of devices, gadgets or appliances may be supplied to the single control unit so that they can all function at the press of accorded buttons.