A Kind Of Sort Of GPS System From 1971

This was actually a pretty ingenious idea in some ways, but unfortunately if even the smallest thing about any of your surroundings ever changed or the tape got eaten, you’d be kind of screwed.

In a fascinating segment from an 1971 episode of the BBC science show Tomorrow’s World, host Michael Rodd gave a demonstration of a pre-recorded cassette tape navigation control device to help drivers find their way. The control device was connected both to the cassette player and to the car’s odometer, using real time information through wheel rotations and communicated with a series of bleeps to determine distance.

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