# Nikola Tesla's Remote Control System for Boats

> Nikola Tesla's 1898 patent for controlling a boat's movement and steering from a distance using radio waves and electrical signals.

- **Patent:** US 613809
- **Original title:** Method of and apparatus for controlling mechanism of moving vessels or vehicles
- **Owner:** Individual
- **Granted:** 1898
- **Status:** Public domain (expired)
- **Times cited:** 15
- **Field:** telecommunications, mechanical, consumer_electronics

## What it does

This patent describes a system for controlling a vessel from a remote location using electromagnetic waves. A receiver on the boat detects these waves, which trigger a sensitive device—a cylinder filled with metal grains—to activate internal relays. These relays then control electric motors that handle the vessel's propulsion and rudder position. The system uses a clockwork mechanism to reset the receiver after each signal, ensuring it remains ready for the next command.

## What it does NOT cover

- Does not cover modern digital radio communication protocols like Bluetooth or Wi-Fi.
- Does not cover autonomous navigation systems that rely on GPS or onboard sensors.
- Does not cover systems that use infrared light for signaling.
- Does not cover software-based control algorithms.

## The clever bit

Tesla used a 'coherer'—a cylinder of metal grains—as a radio receiver that could be physically shaken or rotated by clockwork to reset it, allowing it to detect a new signal after each command.

## Real-world examples

1. Radio-controlled model boats
2. Early remote-controlled torpedoes
3. Foundational concepts for modern drones

## Why it matters

This patent is a foundational document for the field of telemechanics, or remote control. Tesla famously demonstrated this technology in 1898 at Madison Square Garden with a radio-controlled boat, shocking the public who believed it was magic or a trained animal inside the hull.

## Frequently asked questions

### What does Nikola Tesla's Remote Control System for Boats cover?

Nikola Tesla's 1898 patent for controlling a boat's movement and steering from a distance using radio waves and electrical signals.

### Who owns patent US 613809?

Individual owns this patent, granted in 1898.

### When does this patent expire?

This patent has expired and is now in the public domain — anyone can use the invention freely.

### What is patent US 613809 cited by?

This patent has been cited by 15 later patents that build on its ideas.

### What problem does this patent solve?

This patent is a foundational document for the field of telemechanics, or remote control. Tesla famously demonstrated this technology in 1898 at Madison Square Garden with a radio-controlled boat, shocking the public who believed it was magic or a trained animal inside the hull.

### What does this patent NOT cover?

Does not cover modern digital radio communication protocols like Bluetooth or Wi-Fi.

**Full plain-English explainer:** https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/613809/tesla-remote-control-teleautomaton

**Original patent:** https://patents.google.com/patent/US613809

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_Source: PatentBrief — https://patentbrief.org. Patent facts are from public records; the plain-English explanation is PatentBrief's._


## Related patents

Semantically similar inventions in the PatentBrief corpus:

- [How Marconi Patented Early Wireless Telegraphy Signals](https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/586193/radio-wireless-marconi) — Guglielmo Marconi's 1897 patent for sending electrical signals through the air to enable early wireless communication.
- [How the First Wireless Television Remote Control Works](https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/2817025/tv-remote-control-adler-zenith) — Robert Adler's 1957 invention of the Space Command remote, which used ultrasonic sound waves to control television functions without wires or batteries.
- [Lee De Forest's Early Radio Telegraphy System](https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/879532/de-forest-audion-vacuum-tube) — A 1908 patent by radio pioneer Lee De Forest describing methods for transmitting and receiving wireless telegraphy signals using early vacuum tube technology.
- [How Nikola Tesla Invented the Modern AC Electric Motor](https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/382280/tesla-ac-motor) — Nikola Tesla's 1888 patent for an induction motor that uses rotating magnetic fields to convert electricity into mechanical motion without needing physical brushes.
- [How Samuel Morse Patented the Electric Telegraph System](https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/1647/morse-telegraph) — Samuel Morse's 1840 patent for the electric telegraph, which enabled long-distance communication by sending electrical pulses over wires to represent letters.