Digital Video
How Our Brains Keep Us From Getting Lost
“Wayfinding” systems are tools in our heads and all around that help us navigate from place to place. Here’s how London is making them better.
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“Wayfinding” systems are the smart design tools that help people navigate from place to place. It’s a universal language that exists everywhere—from the roads we drive to the paths we walk and the airports and malls we traverse. There’s also a natural version in our brains. Without it, we’d be getting lost all the time.
In London, the cab drivers must learn thousands of streets and routes before they can hit the road. Now some scientists are studying their brains to see just how our internal compass works, and whether that knowledge can be used to treat disease.