Tesla’s Invention of the Wireless Remote Control

Kennan (Terzic)

City College of New York

 

Author Contents Note

 

First paragraph: Introduction

 

• The invention

• A Glimpse of Nikola Tesla’s Life

 

Parts ( Boat & Remote )

Technical Description: The Boat

Technical Description: The Remote

Conclusion 

References

 

Introduction

The Remote control is one of the most representative symbols of modern technology and is an essential device that we use today in our everyday lives. It is also used to control things as common as our televisions, cars, video game controllers and to more advanced equipment such as military grade missiles and drones. Nikola Tesla invented one of the first wireless remote controls and the first , his version of wireless control is known as “Telautomaton”, it was based on radio control. Though to elaborate on this Tesla, invented a Multi- Frequency wireless radio controller. He demonstrated his invention in New York City during an electrical exhibition at the Madison Square Garden during the height of the Spanish-American war, this exhibit displayed a wide range of new electronic innovations. As Tesla’s Telautomaton demonstration took  place in a central pool used for the mine detonations. Tesla demonstrated his new technology with a miniature boat directed by radio waves. The boat had small metal antennas. The properties of telautomaton enabled the boat to  move  about  the  pool  independently,  seemingly  without  any  clear control mechanism that directed its actions, besides that of the remote system that transmitted radio waves to the boat. Tesla requested that the audience ask the boat mathematical questions, and the lights on the antennae would blink in response: ’What is the cube root of 64?’ The boat would answer [blinkinly], “4.” Anything that I could answer the boat answered. My visitors were puzzled.  I would open it [the boat] and  show  that  there  was  no  one  inside;  it  was  just  a  little  box  filled  with instruments. Although Tesla possessed a public reputation as  an  innovative  and creative engineer, the device, far more complicated than remote mines, failed to receive  any  notice  in  the  press. Those who observed it could not imagine its practical applications. Most of the newspapers focused on the novelty of the new mines and their potential application in the upcoming war. Tesla’s invention ahead of its time, hidden by the fog of war centered minds. As without his invention we would have never landed on Mars, had radio, wireless keys, drones and other massive inventions.

Nikola Tesla, a Yugoslavian Inventor (July 10, 1856- January 7, 1943), was born in modern day Smiljan, Croatia.  Nikola Tesla was a man with a beautiful mind, a man far ahead of his time in many ways.  As Tesla’s mind was caged by men with their noses stuck in profit and loss statements, they failed to understand him, but accomplished to think of him as strange. Tesla created the modern era, he was unquestionably one of the world’s greatest geniuses, showering the world with his inventions and  amazing discoveries. Nikola Tesla had obratinened his love for math and physics while at Higher Real Gymnasium for highschool. Tesla was destined to follow the family lineage of becoming a priest, though after he had a severe and long nine months of battling with cholera, his father had promised him that if he got better, he would send him to the best school for engineering. As he made a recovery his father had sent him. From there he went to school and found his way from Austria, to France and then to the United States.Tesla was a man who seeked to light up the world. He strived to give the world free wirelessly transmitted electricity, wireless to the extent of holding a lit lightbulb in your very hand with no batteries. An idea that is unheard of today even in the year of 2020 as greed and big business engulfed these ideas. Innovations that we are seeing today such as wireless charging was far imagined by Tesla 130 years ago. Nikola Tesla has invented many things other than the remote control that we use today such as Radio, Alternating Current (AC), the Induction motor, developments in x-rays and laying the foundations to the medical practice of radiology. A man bound by his time.

Parts ( Boat & Remote )

Within Tesla’s invention of telautomatics, are a series of parts that construct the primary telautomatic system and that construct the secondary demonstrative system of the Boat. Within the primary system of telautomatics are receivers, electronic oscillators (transmitters), (FIGURE 2) antennas E’, motors and batteries E. Though for his demonstrative system,  Tesla implemented a propelling mechanism comprising a screw propeller, C, and a rudder F’. 

 

 Technical Description: The Boat (Receiver)

The way that Tesla’s boat operates is through the implementation of multiple frequencies: To expand on this there are two systems on this boat, as one circuit controls the motor of the propeller and another separate circuit controls the rudder that steers the boat. This works with the properties of a Multi-frequency controller invented by Tesla .(This same system can be used in water, air and land remote controlled electronics) To start the batteries EE power both motors of the vessel and receivers. These receivers are tuned to specific frequencies so they only operate to a particular wavelength. There are 3 positions to each motor, Left, Middle and Right. As a frequency sets the rudder F’ and Motor D to a tuned position. The propeller motor D is regulated in speed and the Rudder motor F changes the direction of the boat. Both of these Motors work off of AC motors.

 

Technical Description: The Remote (Transmitter)

The remote control of tesla’s device consists of a handle, oscillator (trassmiter), battery and antenna, the switch is movable in one direction only, and stops on four points, t, t’, u, u’, so that as the handle passes from stop to stop, oscillations are produced during a very short interval. In the selected frequencies the instruments on the boat respond accordingly. Either influencing the actions of motor D or F to change speed or direction. 

Conclusion

Nikola Tesla has invented a magnificent remote control, not only was it a remote control but a multifunctional device that can wirelessly control systems, such as the speed and direction of a toy boat. Nikola Tesla’s inventions did not only move a small boat within a detonation pool, but helped direct the movement of rockets to outer space and to Mars, and moved to develop the widely known bluetooth systems  and radio. This technology was disregarded at first as people mocked the device, though it stands as a symbol of modern times and a symbol that one should not always listen to critics. 

 

References

Vucevic, D., Dordevic, D., & Radosavljevic, T. (2016). Nikola Tesla and medicine: 160th anniversary of the birth of the genius who gave light to the world–Part I/Nikola Tesla i medicina–160 godina od rodenja genua koji je svetu podario svetlost–I Deo. Medicinski Pregled, 69(9-10), 313+. Retrieved from https://link-gale-com.ccny-proxy1.libr.ccny.cuny.edu/apps/doc/A490127277/AONE?u=cuny_ccny&sid=AONE&xid=78a84400

TESLA, NIKOLA. Inventions, Researches and Writings of Nikola Tesla. Place of publication not identified: BARNES & NOBEL, 2018.

Tesla, Nikola. “613 809 Method of Apparatus for Controlling Mechanism of Moving Vessels of Vehicles .” Patent Images. USAPatents. Accessed March 22, 2020. https://pdfpiw.uspto.gov/.piw?PageNum=0.

Thompson, ., and Kendall Milar. “I, Robot: Nikola Tesla’s Telautomaton.” eScholarship, University of California, September 29, 2015. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4xr9r7rm.

O’Neil, John J. “Prodigal Genius: The Life of Nikola Tesla.” Google Books. Cosimo, Inc. Accessed May 22, 2020. https://books.google.com/books?id=40NzjS5FunkC.

 

Kennan Terzic

 

Reflection

In reflection to this assignment, this was a very interesting assignment as It has enlightened me with a new perspective. In this new perspective there are the details of writing within a technical description. Also it has taught me the variances of writing a technical description of someone else’s invention. This piece has encompassed me in the challenges of such. As to explain a device is to truly portray that one understands the device. This assignment has helped guide myself in the inventions of Nikola Tesla. Nikola was a significant researcher, scientist and inventor. He is currently getting more credit within the year of 2020, but it can be stated that his name should have been chanted 100 years ago. I had a great time in this assignment in learning of his life. There was a lot of information about his life and to his journey to engineering, math and then to the United States of America. Nikola Tesla has portrayed that the American dream is a challenge, as he was a greatly educated man that was left empty handed to work in the ditches shoveling. He exemplifies many symbolic elements, in which I am greatly inspired by. This Paper has helped shed a light on the greed of this world, as he wanted to give the gift of free electricity to the world, electricity developed by the earth’s magnetic poles. Our world would have been better if we listened to the Yugoslavian. 

 

Also technical descriptions have shown me the importance of illustrations in describing a patent. As it has many legal elements. Such legal elements of keeping you patent broad enough to control a greater variety of systems. As Tesla could have just specified a boat, but he specified an abundance of devices that we may interpret in this day of age. This assignment could have been improved in many ways. I will greatly improve in my second attempt of this assignment in the future. I can see the various improvements as I reflect.