In 1901, a Spanish gentleman had one of the ideas of the century: inventing the remote control before television

Spanish engineer Leonardo Torres Quevedo patented the Telekino in 1903, creating an early remote-control system long before televisions made remotes common.

The device was first designed to operate dirigibles and was later tested on boats, showing the promise of wireless remote operation.

IEEE later recognized the Telekino as a major engineering milestone and an important precursor to modern remote control and automation.