Road Whiz Ultra Navigation Device, 1995

01

Artifact Overview

For American drivers, gadgets like this represented a transition from traditional paper maps to electronic navigation systems. Developed in the mid-1990s, when GPS devices were still expensive, the Road Whiz provided pre-stored information on travel distances and roadside services. But the data could not be updated to reflect changes over time.

Artifact Details

Artifact

Navigational instrument

Date Made

1995

Location

at Legacy Locations in MS

Object ID

2012.41.1

Credit

From the Collections of The Henry Ford. Gift of James and Janet Hefferan.

Material

Plastic
Paper (Fiber product)

Color

Gray (Color)
Blue
Red

Dimensions

Height: 5 in (device)
Width: 3 in
Thickness: 0.5 in

Inscriptions

Top of device: INTERSTATE SERVICES & DIRECTIONS / ROAD WHIZ / ULTRA Label on back of device: ULTRADATA / Made in USA / Model 970 / Pat. No. 5,021,061 / 5,229,947
Road Whiz Ultra Navigation Device, 1995