Remote control

Remote control, control of a system from a distance. It can range from a television set to a guided missile or satellite, over a few feet or thousands of miles. Types of remote control include radio, infrared, ultrasonic, laser, electrical, human voice, and mechanical. Radio-controlled motorboats used by the German Navy in World War I (1914–18) were the first machines operated by remote control. Today some robots are run by remote control.