• Home
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Hosting
  • Newsletter
  • Advertise
  • Submit
  • Contact

Laughing Squid

A daily dose of unique art, culture and technology.

A Real Time Demonstration of a Pre-Recorded Cassette Tape Navigational System From 1971

by Lori Dorn at 3:03 PM on June 26, 2018

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Tumblr
  • Flipboard
  • More
  • Print
  • Pocket
  • LinkedIn
  • Telegram
  • WhatsApp
  • Skype
  • Reddit

In a fascinating segment from an 1971 episode of the BBC science show Tomorrow’s World, host Michael Rodd gave a demonstration of a pre-recorded cassette tape navigation control device to help drivers find their way. The control device was connected both to the cassette player and to the car’s odometer, using real time information through wheel rotations and communicated with a series of bleeps to determine distance.

Most of the time the playing unit is switched off it’s only switched on to relay the instructions to me and those times are dictated by this control unit which is mounted underneath the dashboard. On the end of each instruction is recorded a bleep and it’s the precise length of this bleep which tells the control unit how far the car has to travel before the next instructions are due. The cassette player is connected to the control unit here here the control unit is connected to the car mileometer and as my road wheels rotate take me forward, this wheel on the control unit rotates. Now it’s revs are counted and when that count corresponds with the information stored here from the bleep at the end of the last instruction the next instruction is given.

via Neatorama


  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Tumblr
  • Flipboard
  • More
  • Print
  • Pocket
  • LinkedIn
  • Telegram
  • WhatsApp
  • Skype
  • Reddit

Related Laughing Squid Posts



Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter and Flipboard



← Previous Blog Post
Next Blog Post →


Managed WordPress Hosting

Laughing Squid Hosting offers reliable, scalable and secure Managed WordPress hosting starting at $12/mo. Includes email, Jetpack Premium and a free SSL cert. We'll even migrate your site at no charge. The revenue from hosting helps support this blog.

Popular on Laughing Squid

  • Talking Crow Asks People Passing By on Street ‘Y’alright Love?’ in a Strong Yorkshire Accent
    Talking Crow Asks People Passing By on Street ‘Y’alright Love?’ in a Strong Yorkshire Accent
  • Bagel Shop Worker Captures the Facial Expressions of Dogs as They Come to the Drive-Thru Window
    Bagel Shop Worker Captures the Facial Expressions of Dogs as They Come to the Drive-Thru Window
  • A Curious Orangutan Falls Down Laughing After a Human Performs a Simple Magic Trick for Her
    A Curious Orangutan Falls Down Laughing After a Human Performs a Simple Magic Trick for Her
  • Man Hilariously Autotunes His Cat's Persistent Meow
    Man Hilariously Autotunes His Cat's Persistent Meow
  • The Expert, A Hilarious Comedy Sketch About Being the Only Engineer in a Business Meeting
    The Expert, A Hilarious Comedy Sketch About Being the Only Engineer in a Business Meeting

New on Laughing Squid

  • LemursTrue Facts About the Lemur by Ze Frank
  • Being Rescued by SARDWhat It Looks Like to Be Buried in Snow and Then Found by a Highly Trained Search and Rescue Dog
  • Cat Removes StickClever Cat Removes Wooden Stick From the Sliding Glass Door When His Beloved Human Gets Locked Out
  • Cheese MicrobesAn Intriguing Look at the Microbes That Make Cheese
  • Spiderman Into the Spider-VerseAnimators Behind ‘Spiderman: Into the Spider-Verse’ Talk About Prioritizing Believability Over Perfection

Facebook | Twitter | Flipboard | RSS

The Laughing Squid t-shirts are back!

Powered by Laughing Squid Hosting and WordPress VIP | Advertise | Affiliate Disclosure | Privacy Policy | © 1995-2019 Laughing Squid LLC, all rights reserved