We’ve come a long way from navigating road trips using large fold-out maps that often led to confusion, arguing and, inevitably, asking a stranger for directions. With this in mind, we thought we’d tell you a little bit about where in-car satellite navigation started and where it’s headed.
In 1930 a “map guidance tool” called ‘Iter Avto’ was created. The device came with a set of paper maps. These were wrapped from one roll to another across a display and a cable connected to the speedometer controlled the scroll rate. The speed with which the display moved was proportional to the speed of the car so it always showed the correct point. The big problem was that the moment you drifted from your route, you would have to load a new map and find the exact spot of your current location.
The first true automotive navigation system was developed almost forty years ago by Honda, Alpine and Stanley Electric and was called the ‘Electro Gyro-Cator’. Introduced in Japan in 1981, this “inertial navigation system” used a small helium gas gyroscope and was more like the systems used by fighter pilots in the Cold War. The unit was optional for the equivalent of about $2,750 – nearly 25 percent of the price of the actual cars themselves in that day.
Then there was ‘Etak Navigator’ in 1985, which read map data from a cassette tape with each city listed on a different cassette.
In 1987, Japan gave the automotive world two important advances in navigation technology. The first was the Japan-only Toyota Crown Royal Saloon G with an in-dash CD-ROM mapped dead reckoning navigation system and colour display.
And in 1990, Mazda introduced the first ever GPS system for automotive navigational use. Offered in the top-of-the-line Eunos Cosmo cars, and (again) only available in gadget-loving Japan, Mazda’s navigation system was built into the actual car. Moving forward to 1997, Alpine introduced their version of a pop-out CD-ROM (stored map) navigation system which used GPS (Global Positioning System) satellites. Each CD disc containing mapping data only covered a few US states. However, this system would allow retrofitting and any car buyer could add GPS to his car.
1998 saw Garmin portable units come onto the scene, which opened the market to a much wider audience. From there, GPS technology advanced into phones and into luxury vehicles.
Today we have 3D views that see buildings rise inside the map and huge crystal-clear touch screens that can show incredible detail. Just when you thought the tech had reached its pinnacle there are a few recent additions.
The Mercedes-Benz S-Class has a system called Active Distance Assist Distronic, where the speed preset is predictively reduced according to the route ahead of bends, junctions, or roundabouts, then increased once the road ahead allows. If the route has been selected using the navigation system, the S‑Class also responds accordingly: if the car is in the slow lane, it decelerates when approaching the desired motorway exit. The same applies to junctions where the navigation route prescribes a turn-off or when the driver activates the turn indicator.
The same manufacturer has launched the next gen GLE SUV which has an augmented reality navigation upgrade. This is where navigation instructions are laid over objects in a live camera view. Street names, turn instructions and building addresses all pop up in a zoomed in street view as you approach.