Honda Accord had groundbreaking technology in 1981
Electro Gyrocator. It sounds like a device from Starship Enterprise to beam Scotty up or scare the Klingons away. However, nothing could be further from the truth: in 1981 the Electro Gyrocator was screwed into a normal Honda Accord. If you had money, at least…
You immediately associate certain cars with one specific detail. This time it’s the Honda Accord’s Electro Gyrocator. The first navigation system in a car.
If you analyze the word a little, you will come a long way. ‘Electro’ is something electronic, ‘cator’ refers to location and ‘gyro’ stands for gyroscope, a targeting instrument for aircraft, ships and missiles. Then you come to an electronic device that does something with location and direction. So a navigation system.
New technology to trump competition
Honda hires engineer Katsutoshi Tagami in 1976 with the vague assignment to “develop new technology.” It doesn’t really matter which technology that is, as long as it puts the competition behind. Tagami becomes fascinated by the gyroscope, but doesn’t really know what to do with it. Until someone on his team suggests using it for route guidance. The Electro Gyrocator was completed in 1980 and the device is as complicated as its name.
Cross between overhead projector and PlayStation
It’s a cross between an overhead projector and a PlayStation, accompanied by a thick folder of transparent road maps. You put such a card in the top of the Gyrocator. Then place a flashing light on the map, exactly at your actual position. With all kinds of buttons and sliders you can further adjust the Electro Gyrocator and you can go on your way. Only for a while, because when you reach the edge of the map, you have to conjure up the thick map, find the right connecting card and perform the whole circus again. Still, the system works fine.
From Suzuki to Tokyo
In early 1981 a number of Honda leaders drove it from Suzuka to Tokyo. The Electro Gyrocator takes them flawlessly to the desired place. On December 18, 1981, Honda made the system available as a dealer option on the new Accord. The device costs a whopping ¥300,000 (€2,445), a quarter of the purchase price of the entire Accord. So it’s no wonder that very few Electro Gyrocators are sold. Honda will stop selling after a year.
After that, it seems that the Electro Gyrocator will fade into obscurity, until it suddenly reappears in 2017. The IEEE, an international organization of technology professionals, officially recognizes it as the world’s first car navigation system. Honda still gets the recognition it deserves.
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– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl