Found this on Bored Panda, in a round-up of cool, wacky inventions from the past. Apparently the paper-roll map advanced based on the speed of the car. But wait, what happened when you turned onto a new street? You’d have to have quite the library of map-scrolls stashed in your car, and be doing a lot of scroll-swappin’ At least the idea was pointing in the right direction.
4 thoughts on “1930s answer to GPS”
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I like the wrist watch version.
http://www.slipperybrick.com/2008/05/plus-four-wristlet-route-indicator-original-gps/
Thought I’d chime in to let you know… the rolling map shown in your photos was designed for Rally (the motorsport), to show the co-driver the upcoming turns, obstacles, and any applicable pace notes. The map was tied to the car’s odometer so that it automatically advanced with the motion of the car.
Similar “rolling map” systems are still used today on motorcycles (in non-competition contexts) though they don’t typically include the auto-advance.