Houdina Radio Control Co. was a radio equipment firm that was founded by Francis P Houdina, an

electrical engineer Electrical engineering is an engineering discipline concerned with the study, design, and application of equipment, devices, and systems which use electricity, electronics, and electromagnetism. It emerged as an identifiable occupation in the l ...

in the U.S. Army. Francis P Houdina was a fictitious name created by one of two young men from Kaukauna Wisc that built the Radio driven Chandler from Achen motor Co . They also created the false representation of being in the Army.

Radio-operated automobile

Francis P Houdina developed a radio-operated automobile. He equipped a 1926 Chandler with a transmitting antenna on the

tonneau A tonneau ( or ) is an area of a car or truck open at the top. It can be for passengers or cargo. A tonneau cover in current automotive terminology is a hard or soft cover that spans the back of a pickup truck to protect the load or to improve ...

and operated from a second car that followed it with a transmitter. The radio signals operated small electric motors that directed every movement of the car. In 1925, he publicly demonstrated his radio-controlled driverless car ''American Wonder'' in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

streets, traveling up

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

and down

Fifth Avenue Fifth Avenue is a major and prominent thoroughfare in the borough of Manhattan in New York City. It stretches north from Washington Square Park in Greenwich Village to West 143rd Street in Harlem. It is one of the most expensive shopping stre ...

through thick traffic. Achen Motor, a distributor of cars in

Milwaukee Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee is ...

and surrounding territory, used Houdina's invention under the name ''Phantom Auto'' and demonstrated it in December 1926 in the streets of

. It was demonstrated again in June 1932 in Fredericksburg as a feature attraction of Bigger Bargain Day in which most of the merchants of the city were participating.

Houdini's altercation

In July 1925,

Harry Houdini Harry Houdini (, born Erik Weisz; March 24, 1874 – October 31, 1926) was a Hungarian-American escape artist, magic man, and stunt performer, noted for his escape acts. His pseudonym is a reference to his spiritual master, French magician ...

and his secretary, Oscar Teale, visited the offices of Houdina Radio Control and an argument broke out. Houdini damaged the furniture and an electric chandelier, accusing the company of using his name unlawfully—ironic, indeed, since Houdini himself "borrowed" that name from the famed French magician, Jean Eugène Robert-Houdin. Afterwards, Francis P Houdina said that there had never been any intention on his part to capitalize on the name of Houdini. A summons for disorderly conduct was issued against Houdini but the charges were dropped because George Young the manager failed to appear in court."Houdini Smashed Office of First DriverLess Car's Inventor"
. TechBias.

References

{{reflist, 2 Self-driving car companies Automotive technologies Harry Houdini Unmanned ground vehicles

Radio-operated automobile

Houdini's altercation

See also

References