Wiperless Windshield Takes on Rain, Dirt, Grime

It sounds improbable, but car designer Leonardo Fioravanti of the Pininfarina company has designed a concept car that doesn’t need windshield wipers. They call it the Hidra and say it could reach mass production in the next five years.

How does a windshield keep itself clear? It begins with the Hidra’s aerodynamic design, which will let debris and rain slide off its sleek surface. The chemical treatments to the glass, however, are the real innovation.

It begins with a water-repellent layer, and the glass is then treated with a layer of nano dust. What is nano dust? Your guess is as good as ours, but apparently this treatment will push dirt to the edges of the glass as the car moves forward. Oh, but we’re not done: The third layer is a receptor surface that tells the nano dust glass when the windshield is grimy. This is a mechanical product, mind you, so a fourth layer of electrically conductive material is applied to power the whole gadget.

This all sounds absurdly complicated and expensive, especially when you consider people have been driving for decades with just your standard old windshield wipers. And yet cool car stuff like this always piques our interest. We won’t deny we want to test-drive the Hidra in a monsoon.

Wiperless Windshield Concept Brings Minimalism to Your Vehicle (Gizmodo.com)