Posted on July 21st, 2008 by David Bayon
When sat-navs meet racing games
There have been several blogs from various members of the PC Pro team about the joys of sat-nav recently. First I gushed about the ease with which I drove 1,400 miles in a couple of days, and barely got the map out once. Then Darien got all excited about the beat-the-ETA game everyone inevitably ends up playing to liven up long journeys.
But this… well. This is just brilliant.
According to CNN, General Motors is developing a windshield that “combines lasers, infrared sensors and a camera to take what’s happening on the road and enhance it” for ageing drivers.
So in the fog they’ll see a laser-projected blue line marking the outside edge of the road they’re on, and it’ll even enhance and outline objects like animals, pedestrians or trees to reduce the possibility of accidents in poor visibility conditions. And if they’re speeding, a pink outline will highlight speed limit signs to attract their attention.
But let’s be honest here, it’s not just old people who’ll love this. I’ve already had the odd scary moment where I’ve drifted off into a trance and found myself actually driving based on the curves on my sat-nav rather than watching the road. If that route can instead – by some sort of hook-up with a sat-nav – be beamed on my windshield, I’ll never have to look at a map again. It’ll be like those bits in Terminator and Robocop where you see through their computer eyes and everything’s pointed out for you. Idiot-proof navigating.
And just think of the benefits: that’ll leave me totally free to concentrate on beating that all-important ETA.
Tags: driving, navigation, old people, robocop, sat-nav, terminator
Posted in: Random
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8 Responses to “ When sat-navs meet racing games ”
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July 22nd, 2008 at 10:21 am
Nice idea, but what about all the storys of people following their sat nav into a river? If my maps are out of date and it’s a fair-bit-foggy, I could follow that bright blue laser line right off the edge of the world….
July 22nd, 2008 at 12:14 pm
I agree – GPS is alarmingly fallible. On Sunday the TomTom One happily directed my girlfriend and me all the way back from East Sussex to Finsbury Park… then tried to make us turn the wrong way into the one-way street on which we live.
July 22nd, 2008 at 12:40 pm
Totally agree that it’s nice in theory, but totally unworkable.
When they re-model a roundabout or put in a cycle lane are they going to issue everyone with new satnav discs?
P.
July 22nd, 2008 at 9:36 pm
I’ts can’t be that far off. BMW already offers a head-up display that shows navigation instructions…
July 23rd, 2008 at 1:11 pm
There’s a world of difference between “turn left at the next junction” and “follow this line in the fog”.
July 23rd, 2008 at 1:17 pm
“Follow this line in the fog left at the next junction” – how hard can it be!
July 24th, 2008 at 7:39 am
David
Do you mean like the “virtual cable” system – http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/17/virtual-cable-navigation-system-superimposes-directions-on-your/
July 25th, 2008 at 8:46 am
David
Give up driving mate – for the sakes of everyone else on the road. I would hate to go round a bend to see you coming towards me desperately attempting to match your GPS track to the reality of the real world!
These are driving aids, not a replacement for good judgment and concentration – get yourself a life, before you take away someone elses.