People who rely on satnav could be at risk of losing their ability to navigate, an expert has warned. Writing in the journal Nature, former president of the Royal Institute of Navigation Roger McKinlay argues that our reliance on GPS technology is misplaced and could be eroding our innate way-finding abilities. "If we do not cherish them, our natural navigation abilities will deteriorate as we rely ever more on smart devices," he wrote. McKinlay believes huge investment will be needed before navigation systems will be good enough to allow technologies such as autonomous vehicles to take off. In the meantime, he argues, we need better research into systems for navigation while children should be encouraged to learn how to find their way around by more traditional means.

Earlier this year a US tourist in Iceland drove 226 miles (364km) too far because he was following his sat nav. While tourists in Wales looking for the beautiful falls in Neath Valley often end up in a nearby cul-de-sac because the two locations share the same postcode. Although these stories are amusing, for everyone apart from those involved, they represent a worrying trend of people'over-relying' on GPS. Now an expert warns that it is not only making us lazy, this dependence could rob us of our innate navigation skills. Our increasing reliance on satellite navigation is coming at a cost and is harming our own ability to navigate, says satellite communication and navigation consultant Roger McKinlay.

People who rely on satnav could be at risk of losing their ability to navigate, an expert has warned. Writing in the journal Nature, former president of the Royal Institute of Navigation Roger McKinlay argues that our reliance on GPS technology is misplaced and could be eroding our innate way-finding abilities. "If we do not cherish them, our natural navigation abilities will deteriorate as we rely ever more on smart devices," he wrote. McKinlay believes huge investment will be needed before navigation systems will be good enough to allow technologies such as autonomous vehicles to take off. In the meantime, he argues, we need better research into systems for navigation while children should be encouraged to learn how to find their way around by more traditional means.