There’s no denying that navigation systems have revolutionized the way we get from place to place. Available in everything from new cars to smartphones, navigation systems can ensure that we always get to our destination with a minimum amount of hassle, and some will even route us around stopped traffic to ensure an on-time arrival.
As useful as they are, navigation systems don’t always provide us with the level of detail we want. For example, current navigation systems don’t allow us to reserve a parking space, or tell us which highway lane will provide the most expedient means of getting from point A to point B.
As Richard Read tells us on All Car Tech, that’s where BMW’s latest innovation comes into play. Called microNavigation, BMW’s system will not only get you to your destination, it will get you there by the most efficient route possible, down to the level of choosing the best highway lane to use.
The system even allows you to book parking spaces in advance, assuming the facility allows users to do so. Once en route, microNavigation uses a camera system to calculate which highway lane is moving with the best flow, advising the driver to change lanes when necessary.
Once you’ve reached your parking spot, the system even remembers your location without satellite access, transmitting the data to your smartphone. In other words, you’ll never again waste time roaming through a crowded parking garage, repeatedly hitting the panic button on your remote to find where you left your car.
The microNavigation system is part of a suite of technology that BMW is calling ConnectedDrive. It’s not on the market yet, but it will be soon, and we expect it to debut in BMW’s upcoming i8 and i3 electric cars.