From Chinese Chariots to Smart Cars: 2000 Years of Vehicular Navigation

摘要

The odometer and differential odometer date back approximately 2,000 years, perhaps 1,000 years before the magnetic compass appeared. Gyroscopic devices were first described in the mid-1800s. Automatic mechanical route guides, which began appearing around 1910, introduced the concept of real-time turn-by-turn route guidance to early automobile drivers. The first vehicular navigation system to incorporate electronics was developed during World War II. A research project of the late 1960s established concepts for dynamic route guidance based on real-time traffic conditions.