The strange wrist-mounted scrolling map system of 1927 wasn’t the world’s last foray into analog GPS. This in-car navigation system sported a similar scrolling map setup, but with one notable difference: the map was actually wired to the car so that the map would scroll at a speed that matched the speed of the car’s movement.
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Far from today’s GPS gadgets that track your movements from space, this 1932 invention required the driver to pull over and reload the map if he changed routes or turned. Still, it was a novel invention in a time when a huge map unfolded on the dashboard was the previously highest-tech navigation method available.
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Those obnoxious-voiced GPS units that often lead drivers to closed streets or down bizarre paths may be helpful, but they're not exactly fashion accessories. Their predecessor, however, was this utterly delightful analog device that strapped directly to users' wrists. It was called the Plus Four Wristlet Route Indicator, and it…
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There was a time when even the humble compass was at the height of human technological development. It was a marked improvement over the paper map, and for a long time it remained the preferred method for finding one's way. But lately, our navigational gadgets have become exceptionally high-tech -…
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GPS devices have become so widespread and popular that some people find it impossible to get around without them now. But will the trend continue and will navigation systems keep getting more and more sophisticated and involved? A group of researchers at MIT are counting on it. Their AIDA (Affective…