When poor health caused him to give up his job as an electrical engineer, he turned to a subject that had interested him since he was a teenager ​ — how to build a machine that could transmit live images.
Kui Baird oli halveneva tervise tõttu sunnitud loobuma oma tööst elektriinsenerina, hakkas ta tegelema probleemiga, mis oli paelunud teda juba teismelisena, nimelt sellega, kuidas valmistada aparaati, millega on võimalik kujutisi üle kanda.