GPS is part of our day to day, whether traveling by car or walking. The arrival of this technology did not take place until the mid-1990s. But did you know that there were already navigation systems based on other technologies?
GPS as we know it today did not begin to be used until the mid-1990s. But before it was created the Etak Navigator an own navigation system that was ahead of its time.
How did it work?
Etak Navigator used a magnetic storage system in special cassettes that loaded the maps. The tapes stored a maximum of 3.5 megabytes, a surprising number for that time. To establish the location of the vehicle, sensors were installed on the wheels. An electronic compass located on the rear windshield.
What made it not work?
Databases and WiFi access were Etak’s big problem. The storage system was limited and could not be updated. So to use the browser in the San Francisco Bay area, 6 tapes were needed to recreate the entire map.
Another problem of Etak was that the magnetic tapes could not stand the high temperatures. That were reached inside the vehicles and ended up melting.
Its price was around $ 1400 and each tape with additional content had a cost of $ 35. Although Etak became obsolete with the advent of GPS technology, its progress in digitizing maps and using the car-centered view during navigation have marked the navigation systems we use today.
Before the arrival of Etak with its digital maps, there were already other devices that allowed the driver to stand on the road, such as the Auto Map: paper maps were rolled up and a cable connected to the speedometer regulated the internal mechanism responsible for displaying them as the vehicle was advancing.
And also more modern devices, such as the Electro Gyrocator, which can be considered the first navigator in automotive history, was based on an inertial navigation system. It consisted of an electronic compass and a helium gas sensor associated with a gyroscope that detected changes in the car’s trajectory. The information was analyzed by a computer that positioned the vehicle on the microfilmed maps shown through a phosphor screen.
Etak, although providing similar services to its predecessors, was the beginning of digital maps and what we know today as navigation systems.
