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submitted 11 months ago by L4s@lemmy.world to c/technology@lemmy.world

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Researcher has developed, at a cost of less than one dollar, a wireless light switch that runs without batteries, can be installed anywhere on a wall and could reduce the cost of wiring a house by ...::A U of A engineering researcher has developed a wireless light switch that could reduce the cost of wiring a house by as much as 50 per cent.

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[–] LastYearsPumpkin@feddit.ch 4 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Back in 1956, the Zenith TV remotes didn't require a battery and just used the power generated by pushing the button. They were severely limited in the number of buttons available though, due to the technology of the time.
https://www.theverge.com/23810061/zenith-space-command-remote-control-button-of-the-month

[–] henchman2019@lemmy.world 7 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago)

Those worked by sound. No power was needed or generated by the remote.

From the article...

By pressing a button on the remote, you set off a spring-loaded hammer that strikes a solid aluminum rod in the device, which then rings out at an ultrasonic frequency.

I THINK I even remember, way back, random channel changes from tapping on a drinking glass or something similar... Cool tech for the time