McLaren Pondering Ultrasonic Windscreen Wipers

LIKE wind-up windows and ashtrays, the humble windscreen wiper is soon to be erased from modern cars.

Britain’s most advanced car company is working on secret plans to dispose of the windscreen wiper — an archaic throwback to the early days of the automobile.

According to McLaren, the firm that builds supercars for the road and Formula One cars for the track, the new system is adapted from fighter jets.

It is expected to use high-frequency sound waves similar to those used by dentists for removing plaque from teeth and by doctors for scanning unborn babies.

atc98092 - 12/17/2013 1:16:36 PM

+2 Boost

If something like this can work, that would be terrific. I hate when wipers squeak or chatter, and even keeping good blades on you still end up with fine scratches where the blades reverse direction.

TheSteve - 12/17/2013 2:44:50 PM

+2 Boost

I'm wondering how well this will work in various conditions, like when the car is already wet in the rain, or following traffic and road dirt (wet or dry) us flung up onto your car. It obviously won't work when dried stuff appears on your screen, like bird droppings or construction dust, so make sure you travel with a spray bottle and squeegee, and clean your windshield before starting your trip.

aussie2u - 12/19/2013 10:04:19 PM

+1 Boost

Our higher end SLR cameras use this to clean their imaging sensors when powered on and off. While it certainly helps, it's not a cure all as they still need manual wiping from time to time. If they are guessing "time to time" is when filling up with gas or reaching your destination, maybe its plausible.