Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Comment
  • Published:

Technology: Use or lose our navigation skills

Nature volume 531, pages 573–575 (2016)Cite this article

Subjects

Automatic wayfinding is eroding natural abilities, warns Roger McKinlay.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Relevant articles

Open Access articles citing this article.

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on SpringerLink
  • Instant access to the full article PDF.

USD 39.95

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

References

  1. Brown, M., Shaw, D., Sharples, S., Le Jeune, I. & Blakey, J. BMJ Open 5, e006102 (2015).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Wiener, J. The effects of typical and atypical ageing on orientation and spatial navigation. Proc. CogNav 2015 (2015).

    Google Scholar 

  3. Jeffery, K. Making a map in the brain using neurons. Proc. CogNav 2015 (2015).

    Google Scholar 

  4. McGuire, E. A., Woollett, K. & Spiers, H. J. Hippocampus 16, 1091–1101 (2006).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Wiltschko, W. & Wiltschko, R. J. Navig. 46, 174–191 (1993).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Hart, V. et al. Front. Zool. 10, 38 (2013).

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Roger McKinlay is a satellite communication and navigation consultant based in Leatherhead, UK, a former president of the Royal Institute of Navigation, and a former head of engineering at Thales UK. He sits on the EPSRC Quantum Technology Strategic Advisory Board.,

    Roger McKinlay

Authors
  1. Roger McKinlay
    View author publications

    Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Roger McKinlay.

Additional information

Tweet Facebook LinkedIn Weibo

Related links

Related links

Related links in Nature Research

A world where everyone has a robot: why 2040 could blow your mind 2016-Feb-24

Pollution: Three steps to a green shipping industry 2016-Feb-17

The quantum source of space-time 2015-Nov-16

Discovery of long-sought biological compass claimed 2015-Nov-16

Autonomous vehicles: No drivers required 2015-Feb-04

Pigeons may ‘hear’ magnetic fields 2012-Apr-26

Related external links

Global Positioning System

Galileo — Europe's global navigation satellite system

Google Self-Driving Car Project

iSense — ultra-cold atom technology for sensing applications

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

McKinlay, R. Technology: Use or lose our navigation skills. Nature 531, 573–575 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1038/531573a

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/531573a

This article is cited by

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing