Adler, Robert

▪ 2008

      Austrian-born American physicist

born Dec. 4, 1913 , Vienna, Austria

died Feb. 15, 2007 , Boise, Idaho

as head of the research division of Zenith Radio Corp. (now Zenith Electronics), invented the first practical wireless remote control device for the television set. Adler's device, which was introduced by Zenith in 1956, relied on ultrasound radio frequencies to communicate simple commands to the TV set. Other inventions by Adler, who held almost 200 U.S. patents, included the gated-beam tube, which improved sound reception, and a synchronizing circuit that improved signal reception at the edges of a television station's broadcast area. Adler was awarded the Edison Medal of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers in 1980, among many other honours. He won (1996–97) an Emmy Award for the development of the wireless remote control.

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