It's A Small, Small World

Ask any woman: even the most liberated man, lost on the road, is loath to pull over and request directions. But technology may come to the rescue. In Las Vegas last week, two manufacturers showed off electronic road maps that may be standard equipment by the end of the decade.

These maps are displayed on what are essentially small (4 inches by 4 inches) television screens that not only show the local roads, but also track your vehicle's position. They're even better than the guy at the gas station: a precise on-screen arrow continually shows your location, even on a two-lane blacktop in Iowa. Future versions will also give advice about the most efficient route to travel, and recommend hotels and restaurants.

The first electronic map will reach the American market early next year from the German firm Blaupunkt. It employs tiny sensing elements on your car's tires, plus an electronic compass, to determine position and speed. The maps are recorded on compact discs, similar to musical discs, with sufficient storage ability that all of Germany, down to alleys, can be held on a single CD. Discs for the United States will soon be available; a handful will be enough to cover the continent. But the Blaupunkt TravelPilot is a luxury, initially priced at $3,500; each CD map, $100. The first customers will probably be salespeople often on the road in unfamiliar towns.

Satellite signals:

An alternative approach, shown in Las Vegas by Japanese manufacturer Pioneer Electronic Corp., determines your automobile's position not by its wheels, but by receiving signals from global positioning satellites. The earth is ringed with 17 such satellites, now used by the Department of Defense and ships at sea, with seven more scheduled for launch by 1992. The Pioneer system, which features a bright color screen, already sells 1,000 units each month in Japan, at about the same premium price as the Blaupunkt. But there's a bonus: the Pioneer electronic map can also play musical CDs through your car's stereo. Pop out your compact-disc map, pop in Aerosmith. Pioneer has set no introduction date for the United States, but by the mid '90s, electronic maps will almost certainly be an option on luxury cars-and the next automotive craze after the cellular telephone. Just don't try talking on your car phone while looking at your electronic map as you're doing 60 on the interstate. It's probably safer to stop at the gas station and ask directions.

© 1991