The voice in your navigation system is saying: “You have arrived at your destination,” but it’s a multi-story car-park or a theatre and you don’t know where to go or how to purchase tickets. BMW is developing the next chapter in navigation systems that will answer those and myriads of other questions.
Created by BMW Group Research and Technology, the extended navigation solution does not abandon drivers where current technology finishes. It has the normal large-scale map display, but switches to complex enclosed destination areas via a new micro-Navigation card.
BMW was the first European manufacturer to launch an integrated in-car navigation system in 1994.
The new system requires drivers to download the detailed information about their destination in advance from their PC. If there is a microMap available, the driver downloads the details and transfers them to their in-car map data. BMW says in the future it will be possible to download microMaps in your car while on the move.
Researchers have also developed lane-specific positioning for the vehicle by networking camera information, GPS co-ordinates and map data. The driver is guided to the desired destination on a lane-specific route – for example a free parking space near the lift in a multi-story high-rise car park.
After parking, the data can be transferred to the driver’s hand-held mobile device to easily navigate on foot any complex and unknown destinations.
With the long-term car parks at Sydney and Melbourne airports now the size of country towns, the next step might be a navigation system to locate your car when you return!
Related Articles:
