Find Lost Remote Control Using Your TV

We can have an effective conversation, only if we have a two-way communication. This is not just applicable to humans, but also to machines. Imagine a phone, or even a one-way intercom for that matter, which only lets you speak, but not listen. Does it make any sense in having such a device?


There are a whole bunch of appliances and gadgets in this world that still employ a one-way communication; by communication, I don't necessarily mean the interaction between two humans sitting on either ends of a telephone line, or a video-conference. One-way communication is also applicable to gadgets that work with a remote control, such as Televisions, Air-Conditioners, etc. The interaction between a TV and it's remote control is a one-way communication, because the TV receives the signals from the remote control, and responds accordingly. However, there is no signal that goes back to the remote control, from the TV - the main idea behind this post, is to harness this untapped idea. 

Before 1950, a remote control did not even exist. It then took 60 years for the remote control technology to evolve to it's present day state. Personally, I feel a LOT of innovation could have gone into this wonderful device, over the past years. The following para outlines one of my many ideas on remote control innovation. I'm reserving the others, for a couple of new posts *grin*.


Scenario

You know that your little ones were playing with your TV remote in the evening, but you were too busy to hide it away from them. It's dinner time now, and you're almost settled on your couch with a bowl of spaghetti, to watch your favourite TV show, Everybody Loves Raymond. Unfortunately, the TV is playing a different channel, and you're unable to change it because the remote is missing. You search frantically. You're either too lazy to walk towards the TV to manually change the channel, or ignorant of the fact that TVs can also be operated with human fingers. After a fifteen minute search, you finally find the remote lying under your own couch.

Solution

To solve the problem narrated in the above scenario, it'd be nice if Television makers employed a two-way communication technique here. What if your TV could talk to your remote? How about having a dedicated remote control locator button on your TV, and a mini built-in speaker in the remote control itself? On pressing the dedicated button, the TV would send the same Infrared signal back to the remote, activating an alarm. Essentially, your remote would ring, letting you track down it's location easily. We could probably also have some customizable ring tones (and ring volume adjustments!) on the remote control *grin*. If you think Infrared doesn't have enough range to pierce through cushions and walls, we always have the Bluetooth technology to save us! Click this link to know the difference between infrared and Bluetooth.

Value Addition      

Another nice-to-have feature in a remote control would be a rechargeable Lithium-Ion battery, replacing the conventional AA/AAA cells. The Lithium-Ion battery is lighter, and can be easily recharged several times; in fact, Television makers who provide such a feature, can also embed a battery charging port, along with the other input and output ports in the TV.


Well, how do you like these ideas?                    


Imaginatively Yours,
G U R U