Lazy Bones (1950) - According to Electronic House, it was the world's first commercially available TV remote control. It could only flip through channels by triggering a motorized knob. Needless to say, its secondary skill as a tripwire caused problems in the living room.

Flash-Matic (1955) - Billed as "absolutely harmless to humans," this focused flashlight could be aimed at one of four light sensors on the TV itself, in order to turn TV on or off, change channel or adjust volume. But like Gyration mice and other gestural devices of today, it was a challenge because people forgot where and how to point the thing to activate each function. Also, sunlight really played havoc with the sensors.

Space Command (1956) - A much better system than Flash-Matic and as comfortable as a pack of Benson & Hedges in the hand, the Space Command used ultrasound—ingeniously generated without batteries by plungers hitting aluminum tuning forks—to change channel, turn TV on or off, and adjust volume. It did have one problem, though: Some dogs couldn't stand the noise.

Check out EH's "A History of TV Remote Controls" for the full story. [Electronic House]

Zenith has just announced their new Flashmatic device. How can I best explain this gadget to the unenlightened masses? It's like holding a television in your hand, except without bearing the weight of a tube display or wood paneling. Surely the Flashmatic will revolutionize the world. Just think, no longer will we need to have households with 2-3 children just to get up and change channels for us—meaning we will never have to share a twin bed with our spouses again.

Still, in an age where my PS3 plays cordless, we wonder why SOMEONE didn't come up with the Flashmatic sooner. But we're guessing that the advanced "yellow beam" technology must be trickier than it looks. – Mark Wilson