TomTom’s camera-based GPS: Your view of what lies ahead
I’ve always found the GPS system one of the best technologies ever created. Especially for women like me, who can never manage to find their way, it’s a boon to stay connected with this never-ending web of the world! Of course, GPS technology has a long way to go, especially to overcome the sometimes tough to understand graphics and directional tools on screen, and at times extremely difficult to enter data pad! But all that might soon change, if TomTom has its way. What I’m trying to drive you to is TomTom’s just recently patented GPS system that would relay a camera feed from the front of a car to a GPS unit’s screen; a smart image detection system would then identify the roads and intersections ahead, superimposing directions on top of the video to help the driver turn based on recognizable landmarks, rather than simple maps of vague 3D images. Cool, I’d say, it’s always better when you’re working more closely with reality. Enhancing the GPS markets and gearing it up for some tough competition, the patent was filed for in December by TomTom’s Dutch headquarters; however, there is no sign of a launch in the really near future. Personally, I don’t care how long I got to wait for it, coz at least I know that once it’s out, every road will lead to somewhere, and that my boy, is the key to Moksha (eternal bliss). (NiRa)