With the world facing profound challenges, ranging from the profusion of terror groups through to the effects of rising global temperatures, it might seem trivial for research teams to focus on a truly first-world problem like having too many remote controls.
But if the great minds of the world did not have to scramble for a dropped remote control amid the dust bunnies under the sofa and then push the buttons on a series of similar remotes before finding the one relevant to the device they wanted to use, maybe it would free up spare time so they could come up with the solutions to much bigger problems.
On that basis, we ought to congratulate Samsung for devising a smart television that immediately recognises the connecting games console or home theatre system, all of which can be controlled with a single smart remote control. With all that free time, we expect breakthroughs on serious problems to surely follow.
