Nanotechnology-Powered Wiper-Less Windshield

fab writes "Italian car designer Leonardo Fioravanti (who worked for Pininfarina for a number of years) has developed a car prototype without windshield wipers. This amazing technological feat is made possible thanks to the use of 4 layers of glass modified using nanotechnology. The first layer filters the sun and repels the water. The second layer, using 'nano-dust' is able to push dirt to the side. The third layer acts as a sensor that activates the second layer when it detects dirt, while the fourth layer is a conductor of electricity to power this complex mechanism. I haven't been able to find an English article, but there is always a google powered translation of the Italian article."

Comments

Obligatory

[Anonymous Coward]

http://www.theonion.com/content/node/33930

Re:Windshield Dust

[gnick]

I'm happy to pay them *not* to crap up my windshield. I assume that you either haven't spent much time in a large city or just give in to these folks, but that's the standard scheme. You pay the guy before he squirts your windshield so that it doesn't get crudded up. It's more blackmail/mugging than providing a service.

Windshield treatments

[A nonymous Coward]

A brother-in-law talked me into applying an Amway window treatment, and I was amazed at how well it shed water. You could, and I did, drive alongside a semi at freeway speeds and the water just slipped off and out of sight. It was absolutely convincing. Its only drawback was that you had to reapply it every several weeks. At first it worked even down to 25 mph, but gradually wore off as you used wipers at slower speeds, especially if you used the washer fluid, and eventually you had to use wipers as high as, say, 50mph, at which point I would reapply it. That bottle ran out and I tried some others which worked as well.

There was also a mental adjustment period for me; water just streams up and over the car, not to the sides, and it seems so wrong to not have wipers sweeping back and forth. The streams going up the windshield were so different from what I was used to that it was distracting and somewhat headache inducing, and it took several rainstorms to get used to it. But now it's wipers that look wrong.

Until you see it from inside, it is hard to believe how well it sheds water splashed up by the semi alongside you, but it is literally almost as clear as having no water on the windshield. It made a believer out of me.

Re:Windshield treatments

[ScrewMaster]

I disagree. Personally, I think the people that use Rain-X and then complain simply didn't apply it properly. It does take some effort. I say this as someone that doesn't like driving at night because of the glare of oncoming headlights, but I've never noticed any problem with glare using Rain-X. The thing is, you absolutely have to buff it thoroughly and well after you first apply it. Put some elbow grease into it!

Re:C.O.P.S.

[aug24]

Ahem. Possibly sir is thinking of this. Justin.