Tesla's Radio-Controlled Boat: The 1898 Teleautomaton Patent (U.S. 613,809)

2 minute read. Published October 17, 2026.

In short: U.S. Patent No. 613,809, granted in 1898, is Nikola Tesla's patent for controlling a moving vessel or vehicle from a distance using radio signals. He called the machine a "teleautomaton" and demonstrated it that year with a small boat at an electrical exhibition in Madison Square Garden, New York. It's one of the earliest working designs for radio remote control.

Tesla's 1898 teleautomaton patent drawing printed in amber on a black T-shirt — The drawing from U.S. Patent 613,809, restored and printed in amber on black.

What did Tesla demonstrate in 1898?

Tesla placed a small, battery-powered boat in an indoor pool and controlled it from across the room, starting and stopping it, steering it and switching its lights, with no wires connecting him to it. Radio was still new, and many in the audience assumed there was a trick, or that someone was hidden inside the boat.

How did the teleautomaton work?

Signals from Tesla's transmitter were picked up by a receiver on the boat. Each signal advanced a mechanism that switched the boat between actions, such as turning the rudder or running the motor. The patent's full title describes it plainly: a Method of and Apparatus for Controlling Mechanism of Moving Vessels or Vehicles.

Why does it matter?

The idea at the heart of the patent, sending commands through the air to a machine that acts on them, sits behind a huge range of later technology, from garage door openers to drones. Tesla also saw darker uses, and pitched remote-controlled vessels for military purposes, though the idea didn't win support at the time.

What does the patent drawing show?

The FIG. 1 drawing shows the vessel and its internal mechanism laid out in technical detail: the receiving apparatus, the control works and the parts that drive it. It's one of the most mechanically intricate drawings in our first collection.