Robert Adler, the man who in 1956 co-invented the Zenith Space Command remote control and thus eliminated the tiresome and strenuous physical activity long associated with the pastime of watching television, died of heart failure on Thursday in a Boise, Idaho nursing home. He was 93. Zenith gave credit for the invention to Adler and fellow Zenith engineer Eugene Polley and in 1997 they shared an Emmy for creating it. Adler worked for Zenith for 60 years and earned more than 180 US patents. When asked if he felt guilty for creating a world of couch potatoes, he said, “That’s ridiculous. It seems reasonable and rational to control the TV from where you sit and watch television.” (Source)