Ancient wrist-mounted scrolling map -- Boing Boing Gadgets
Over on Boing Boing Gadgets, our John spotted this vintage wrist-mounted scrolling map from 1927, an antediluvian wrist-mounted GPS:
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At first glance, this 1927 map watch is pretty nifty: an antediluvian GPS, don't you know. It was called the Plus Four Wristlet Route Indicator, a name so clunky, unmemorable and artless that it even sounds like the name of a modern GPS device. The idea was simple: the Wooster-esque motorist would putter around England, scrolling a tiny paper map loaded in his wrist as he went with two black knobs. If you took a turn, you simple slid out one map and inserted another one and continued on your way.What ho! Ingenious! Except a complete road map only cost a few pence back in 1927, where as this device would have set you back around 5 quid. And just like modern GPS map providers, the real business model was in selling you additional maps.
Which leaves the design. I quite like it: it's cheap, but whimsical and adventurous, like something you might strap on your wrist to traverse Oz.
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If you bought an opisometer to go along with that 'mapwatch', you'd be all set to go.
If only it ran on steam, it would be perfect.
Given current climate trends, antediluvian only means 2006 in the UK.
He's wearing it on the wrong wrist. I wonder if they made them for left-handed people, too.
I was going to say the same thing- it would be easier to use on the correct (left) wrist.
Cory ,are you mocking the English? Ya wee rascal that ye are!
This was the Iphone of its day, apparently...
Wasn't left handedness still a sin in 1927?
I don't wear a watch, but if your left wrist is for your watch, wouldn't you keep your map on your right?
@#8&9 - It doesn't matter if you're left or right handed or if you are wearing a watch on your left wrist already. The twisty knobs are on the right side of the device. So unless you want to twist your left hand into uncomfortable positions to advance the thing, you need to wear that on your left hand.
Plus, if you own that, you probably also have a pocket watch. So your left wrist is available.
wow, a mini roll chart. cool!
Off-road motorcyclists still use a version of this for enduro rallys.
when you register, they give you rolls of paper, that you load into your chart, as you ride along, you measure miles travelled, scroll the chart, and it tells you when to turn....
http://www.blackdogdualsport.com/Pics/bd2kchrt2.jpg
http://www.dualies.com/assets/images/MooseRollChart.jpg
It's cute enough. More like a gag in one of the History of the World movies. "Hold on, I'm getting a text..." The young page handed Cory a mini-scroll whereupon it was loaded into the older man's wrist reader. "Almost loaded," he said five minutes later while using one of his micro-Craftsman jewler's pliers to adust the scroll. He then turned the device's knobs to reveal the message: "Herbal Viagra for long lasting...What? I've been spammed!" The young page was then beaten for failing to act as a good filter.
This would make an excellent design for a modern e-ink watch. You could turn the scrolls to, well, scroll between features. Very cool.
So how did you carry all those squids around to pay for things? Did they have to be alive? What about the smell?