The authors of the Etak car navigation system took into account the errors of the Electro Gyrocator. Etak was developed in California by Stan Haney and the founder of the Atari slot machine company, Nolan Bushnell.
This system also used a computational method, comparing the car's location with points on a map. The device had an Intel 8088 microprocessor and a magnetic tape drive. The system displayed images on a screen thanks to a digital map, a compass and sensors on the wheels.
Etc Navigator
Getting accurate maps proved more difficult than designing phone number list the device. Etak used data from the U.S. Census Bureau and decided to store the maps on polycarbonate-cased cartridges. Each cartridge held 3.5 MB of data and was resistant to shock, vibration, and extreme temperatures.
The system with a 7-inch screen cost $1,595 and the Etak Navigator 450 with a 4.5-inch screen sold for $1,395. Cassettes cost $35.
Although the system was not very compact—for example, a map of San Francisco took up six cassettes—it proved commercially successful, with competitors buying licenses to Etak's patents, mapping data, and equipment.
The first modern automotive GPS system appeared in 1990 in the Japanese Mazda Cosmo.