All Channels
620°

McLaren to replace windshield wipers with a force field of sound waves

Geek- Buy any car today, regardless of make, model, or cost, and they’ll all have one thing in common: windshield wipers. They are a necessity, both by law and the fact you need them to be able to drive safely when it is raining. But if McLaren has its way, we could soon see cars that no longer require them.

SJIND3772d ago

I wonder what sort of effect this will have on wildlife?

SJIND3772d ago

This operates at 30kHZ, Humans can only hear upto 20kHz. But dogs and cats can hear upto 60kHz.

Speed-Racer3772d ago (Edited 3771d ago )

I'm pretty sure the sound of the exhaust and engine alone would drown out the sound emitted from the 'wiper'.

I think mechlord summarized it properly as well below.

FamilyGuy3772d ago

It's odd that they're using sound, wouldn't air or hot air work better?

As far as animals are concerned: it's probably been tested already and might just make a few dogs bark at you in the rain, doubt it'll hurt them though.

mechlord3771d ago

not even that. wipers are more commonly used when on the move. you wouldn't be near an animal long enough to harm him...because you're on the move and it's friggin raining

Soldierone3772d ago

I personally think it's smarter to go with a coating that keeps water off like the nowet spray that is clear.

Mainly because this won't prevent snow and debris from hitting the windshield, and then you won't have anything to wipe that stuff off.

Jihaad_cpt3772d ago

Under heavy rain that wouldnt really help. Seems silly but lets see what they do

Dasteru3772d ago (Edited 3772d ago )

Most technological breakthroughs seem silly until someone does it, then it becomes normal.

100 years ago the thought of people being able to travel to the moon would have been laughed at. 150 years ago people would probably have thought the idea of a TV was silly.

Why o why3772d ago

Concepts and things that wouldn't currently work are 2 different things. Heavy rain would be dangerous to tackle with coating alone. A combo of the two, wipers and coating, may be the next logical step.

SilentNegotiator3771d ago

@Dasteru

There are also a lot of dumb inventions that try to reinvent the wheel that seem silly because they are silly.

Dasteru3771d ago

@SilentNegotiator:

The wheel has been reinvented and it works.

http://www.youtube.com/watc...

SilentNegotiator3771d ago (Edited 3771d ago )

A tire is a type of wheel. They improved the tire, not reinvented the wheel.

+ Show (2) more repliesLast reply 3771d ago
mechlord3771d ago

the article clearly says it will work on snow...even crushed bugs

Soldierone3771d ago

Only while the car is on, not when the car gets frosted and snow piles on it. Or other debris like parts of the bug that are not crushed, dust, dirt, branches. I live in a desert, there is a lot more stuff stuck to my windshield that I used the wipers for than water.

What happens when it rains, drys, then you get in? Will it just vibrate all that collected dust and dried water spots off?

shutUpAndTakeMyMoney3771d ago

They should use peanut butter. Works for me!

70°

James Webb Space Telescope finds 'extremely red' supermassive black hole growing

The supermassive black hole is 40 million times as massive as the sun and powers a quasar that existed 700 million years after the Big Bang.

70°

15 Tips & Settings to Get the Most Out of Vision Pro

Vision Pro is here and it’s a surprisingly capable device. Apple has also loaded the headset with a ton of options and features that aren’t obvious at first glance.

Read Full Story >>
roadtovr.com
70°

Odysseus mission to be cut short after moon lander's sideways touchdown

Engineers expect to lose contact with the private US moon lander Odysseus on Tuesday, cutting short the mission after its sideways touchdown last week.

Read Full Story >>
news.sky.com