Rare original Zenith Space-Commander 400 controller, which was released in 1956 and stands as one of the earliest wireless TV remote controls and the first to utilize sound waves. The remote, 3.25˝ x 4˝ x 1.25˝, with four push buttons for “On-Off,” “Left,” “Right,” and “Mute,” was designed by Robert Adler and innovated the use of ultrasonic sound to control the television, a method that would become the most common form of TV remote control for nearly 25 years until the advent of infrared in the early 1980s. In fine condition, with two cracks behind the two right-side push buttons. Accompanied by a rare original 6.75 x 10 flyer for the "Zenith 'Space-Command' TV Tuner."
When Zenith first started experimenting with wireless remote controls, it used beams of light that the television could receive to communicate a command. The result was the Flash-Matic, which debuted in 1955 and was abandoned a year later due to its sensitivity to full-spectrum light from the sun and light bulbs. Zenith’s engineers tried an even simpler approach, one that didn’t require batteries and that used sound instead of light. They came up with the Space-Commander 400, a mechanical marvel that originated the nickname ‘clicker’ for the everyday remote control. A fascinating piece of early TV tech that marks a noteworthy advancement in consumer electronics.
