Wiper Blades Might Soon Be a Thing of the Past

For more than a century, the windshield wiper has been a staple on cars, helping drivers see in wet or dirty conditions. But they could suffer the fate of cassette players, hand-crank windows and even turn-key ignition as a technological advances seeks to replace them.

The U.K.'s The Sunday Times reported car maker McLaren, a British Formula One race car and supercar manufacturer, is working on plans that would not only repel water but dirt and insects using sound waves.

Photo credit: Shutterstock

A transducer emitting 30 kilohertz frequency waves across the windshield could effectively replace wipers.

Here's how McLaren's Chief Designer Frank Stephenson described the technology to the Times (via the U.K.'s Daily Telegraph):

 “The windscreen wiper is an archaic piece of technology.

“We’ve had them since cars began and it’s one of the last bastions of design to overcome.”

He suggested the military had kept the technology under wraps, adding: “It took a lot of effort to get this out of a source in the military.

“I asked why you don’t see wipers on some aircraft when they are coming in at very low speeds for landing.

“I was told that it’s not a coating on the surface but a high frequency electronic system that never fails and is constantly active. Nothing will attach to the windscreen.”

Before giving up on traditional wipers completely, here's a bit of history about the blades from TheBlaze TV's "Liberty Treehouse":

The Telegraph noted the technology could be seen on McLaren cars by 2015. The question still remains though: where will parking tickets be stuck if wipers disappear?

Featured image via Shutterstock.

(H/T: Fox News)

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