Sat Nav without the Sat!

Imagine a journey to somewhere new. You hop into the car, switch the engine on, start driving, and listen to a man (or woman) in a small box telling you which way to go. Sounds absurd doesn’t it? But so many of us do it. Of course I’m referring to the phenomenon that is Sat Nav. But what did people do in the days before Sat Nav (in fact the days before Sat!)? I was lucky enough last week to see exactly the kind of thing that they could use.

The Plus Fours Route Finder is exactly such a gadget to meet these needs. Originally released in 1920 it is meant to be worn on the wrist and a scroll with 2 rollers is attached to the strap. Then while driving along, simply wind the map on to show the current part of your journey! Brilliant. Of course you need to own the correct route map to get where you’re going, but that’s just a small matter.

The Plus Fours is on display in the British Library as part of their Weird and Wonderful Gadgets and Inventions display. This is a small display which comprises some other fantastic inventions that never quite made it (self-lighting matches and a finger exerciser for piano players are 2 that stick in the mind!).

The display is open until November 10th in the Business & IP Centre of the library on Euston Road in London and is definitely worth a look. Also on September 16th, Maurice Collins will be speaking about his inventions (book online here). More details of the display itself are available on the British Library website here.