New Patent Shows A TomTom GPS With Integrated Camera System

In-car GPS systems are great, but have you ever been driving along and have it tell you to turn, only to find out that you're really not sure where it wanted you to turn? A new patent has surfaced depicting a navigation system that will use a camera to show you the road as it sees it, and show you exactly where you need to turn.

The patent was filed by TomTom in December and looks to revolutionize the way we look at GPS systems. Currently, when we look at a GPS unit we see a 3D map with lines showing us where the roads are, or at least should be. The proposed device from TomTom would actually show you the road as seen from its built-in camera, and use a smart image recognition system to show your course on the road. The GPS would actually be able to recognize streets, intersections and turns, and show the course on-screen as it applies to the road ahead.

We're not sure how soon we'll see this technology show up in upcoming devices. TomTom has shown no hint of developing a device based on this patent just yet. I can definitely see how a device like this would be a big hit with consumers.

TomTom patents camera-based GPS system [via electronista]