Tesla Demonstrated the World's First Wireless Remote Control in 1898

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In 1898, Nikola Tesla publicly demonstrated a radio-controlled boat at Madison Square Garden, steering it wirelessly through a pool of water without any physical connection. The device used a radio receiver, relays, and a battery to translate Tesla's transmitted signals into mechanical actions like turning and stopping. Tesla patented the invention as a 'teleautomaton' under US Patent 613,809, describing a general system for remotely controlling machines. Despite pitching the concept to the US military as a radio-guided torpedo, the technology was too far ahead of its time to attract serious funding or adoption. The underlying principle of that demonstration — encoding intent, transmitting it wirelessly, and actuating a physical response — forms the conceptual foundation of today's Internet of Things devices.

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