Nikola Tesla demonstrated radio control with a radio-controlled boat at Madison Square Garden in 1898.
Tesla called the device a “telautomaton.” He controlled the small boat remotely using radio signals, sending commands to its onboard electrical mechanisms. The demonstration showed that machines could respond to wireless instructions without a physical connection between operator and device.
Tesla patented his radio-controlled vessel in the United States in 1898. He imagined that the principle could be used for military machines, although practical remote-controlled vehicles developed much later. The event is often described as an early demonstration of robotics because the machine acted on received commands.
Tesla’s demonstration should not be confused with inventing all radio technology. Other researchers, particularly Guglielmo Marconi, were developing wireless telegraphy at the same time. Tesla’s distinctive contribution here was applying radio signals to control a moving machine.