McLaren To Use Force Field Of Sound Waves Instead Of Windshield Wipers

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Normal people have Rain-X, rich people get a "force field of sound waves" to ward off rain drops. :eek:

Frank Stephenson is McLaren’s chief designer and has hinted at a new system to replace the wipers. It is thought to involve using ultrasound to send 30kHz waves across the windshield, which would keep it clear of any debris, even those really horrible insect remains that can build up and obstruct your view.
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Whats the point of this? Still works at high speeds? Or is it the every so slight reduction in weight?
 
Rather have the tried-and-tested old windshield wipers. You have an electronics glitch and they don't work and you get to stop and wait for the rain to end. With the mechanical wipers, you'd most likely not have to. (Old ones can fail of course, but fairly reliable) :p
 
picard.jpg


Set a course for Risa, warp factor 8. Deflector shields activated.
 
Peteman100 said:
Whats the point of this? Still works at high speeds? Or is it the every so slight reduction in weight?
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Because the idea is much better than wipers... constant protection that covers the windshield evenly and protects from everything including bugs, without any visible barrier.

Of course, the execution remains to be determined, but I'm all for it. Especially if it means we'll see this tech or similar in other cars somewhere down the line :)
 
Funny thing is, yes a sound wave force-field over the whole skin of the vehicle could be used to achieve a coefficient of drag lower than the mere shape of the car could ever achieve.

By covering the surface with a texture of bumps shaped to achieve a layer of turbulent air on the very surface along with the entire surface being a piezoelectric transducer to keep the air molecules off the surface of the car, you could hit much lower drag than even a MacClaren has reached so far. :eek::cool:
 
Thermite Paste said:
Because the idea is much better than wipers... constant protection that covers the windshield evenly and protects from everything including bugs, without any visible barrier.

Of course, the execution remains to be determined, but I'm all for it. Especially if it means we'll see this tech or similar in other cars somewhere down the line :)
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A company like McLaren I'm sure will spend the money on R&D. They have a reputation to protect. Unlike commodity vehicle manufacturers who will half ass it for the sake of profits. Often times they have great ideas but execution is atrocious.

Replacing the wipers this way is an outstanding idea. I'm also willing to bet the risk of failure is quite low considering most of the hardware will be solid state and fairly small. Redundancy can be built in pretty easily I'm sure.
 
What if you're going faster than mach 1? But I guess if you're going that fast on the ground, raindrops are probably the last thing to be worried about.
 
xX_Jack_Carver_Xx said:
Funny thing is, yes a sound wave force-field over the whole skin of the vehicle could be used to achieve a coefficient of drag lower than the mere shape of the car could ever achieve.

By covering the surface with a texture of bumps shaped to achieve a layer of turbulent air on the very surface along with the entire surface being a piezoelectric transducer to keep the air molecules off the surface of the car, you could hit much lower drag than even a MacClaren has reached so far. :eek::cool:
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That will totally help rich old guys look more virile than they really are when they still get stuck in traffic or have to wait at an intersection. :D
 
So this is going to sound like a subwoofer is outside your car the entire time, and you would never be able to clean your windshield for whatever reason with wiper fluid?
 
I'll stick to my 2$ bottle of Rainx. Of course I can't afford a McLaren either, but that's just details.
 
I think this is a great idea.

Question is... what happens when the car is off and it's raining/snowing outside? Does it have to be wiped all off manually? Will the force field push that stuff off once the car is on? Must you only own this car where weather does not exist?
 
colinstu said:
I think this is a great idea.

Question is... what happens when the car is off and it's raining/snowing outside? Does it have to be wiped all off manually? Will the force field push that stuff off once the car is on? Must you only own this car where weather does not exist?
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Why, in God's green earth, would you ever drive an MP4 or the like in the snow?
 
McClaren...
We find Million Dollar ways to perform 2 dollar jobs.
 
TechLarry said:
McClaren...
We find Million Dollar ways to perform 2 dollar jobs.
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Have you actually priced the cost of GOOD QUALITY wiper blades lately?

I have gotten tired of the crappy genericy ones because they only last a few months before they don't really work anymore.

I have since moved on to only using Bosch wipers. Depending on the length and the model, they can be over $30 for a single wiper.

Worth it to me since they tend to last at least 2-3 years before I have to replace them instead of the crappy wipers that start streaking after only a few uses as well as not holding to the windshield at highway speeds.

Having to drive 20-30mph in rain is stupid and a huge waste of time.

On top of that, I have actually had a wiper arm strip out where it hooks to the motor arm while i was driving in a nice downpour. I had to get out and swap the passenger arm to the driver's side on the side of the highway so I could start driving again.

The weight savings is more than just the wiper arm as well. No need for a washer bottle, the hosing, the wiper motor and linkage, etc. I am guessing at least a 20lb weight reduction as well as a decent amount of less parts to break.

Over the life of the car, even if it added $1000 to the price of the car, it is still going to equate to an overall savings vs wipers.

If somebody came out with an aftermarket kit that works like the McLaren is going to use, I would be all over it simple for the fact that I would never need to buy wipers again.
 
cyclone3d said:
Over the life of the car, even if it added $1000 to the price of the car, it is still going to equate to an overall savings vs wipers.
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On a normal car, sure. Don't people usually buy overpriced cars like this to put into a building somewhere and only drive maybe once or twice? I think it's more just being able to tell your friends you own a so-and-such that goes 8 millions of miles per hour because you'd never actually be able to drive as fast as it can go on a road someplace without endangering the lives of everyone that is unlucky enough to be near you.
 
TechLarry said:
McClaren...
We find Million Dollar ways to perform 2 dollar jobs.
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They design F1 cars, and road cars using top of the line F1 technology.

They don't do 2 dollar jobs. They do the best job. Period. The best job costs the most money.
 
colinstu said:
I think this is a great idea.

Question is... what happens when the car is off and it's raining/snowing outside? Does it have to be wiped all off manually? Will the force field push that stuff off once the car is on? Must you only own this car where weather does not exist?
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Rain can probably be blown off, but snow? Who in their right mind drives their McClaren in the snow? :p
 
At first I thought they were saying they were using a force field of sound instead of a windshield, which is even crazier.
 
Zuul said:
What if you're going faster than mach 1?
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It's relative, just like everything else. Going faster than the speed of sound should have no effect (in theory), since the emitting point of the sound forcefield is stationary, relative to the car.
 
kamxam said:
Rather have the tried-and-tested old windshield wipers. You have an electronics glitch and they don't work and you get to stop and wait for the rain to end. With the mechanical wipers, you'd most likely not have to. (Old ones can fail of course, but fairly reliable) :p
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Ya because windshield wipers that wear out every couple months work so much better. They smear crap all over your windows, oh and if you don't pay 3x the price for them they fall apart and a piece of metal hanging down scrapes your windows. Maybe its different because I live in a cold climate but windshield wipers are garbage. Never used a good one. They are a constant nuisance.

I cant say if this or any other system will work better but I will give other systems a chance if their is any hope of moving away from wipers which are not particularly reliable.
 
Theoretically this could be both lighter and cheaper than current windshield wiper systems, as well as more effective. Reliability will depend on the type of transducer used. My concerns are more in the area of how the windshield will now be held onto the car. The adhesives that are now used won't cut it. Keep in mind that the windshield is a stressed element used to strengthen the roof on most vehicles. One is for sure though, say goodbye to windshield mounted accessories!
 
ITT: People angry because they can't afford cars like this, and through this stupid rage don't care about innovation.

If no one ever asked "How can we improve this" do you think we would have any technology today? :rolleyes:
 
rudy said:
Ya because windshield wipers that wear out every couple months work so much better. They smear crap all over your windows, oh and if you don't pay 3x the price for them they fall apart and a piece of metal hanging down scrapes your windows. Maybe its different because I live in a cold climate but windshield wipers are garbage. Never used a good one. They are a constant nuisance.

I cant say if this or any other system will work better but I will give other systems a chance if their is any hope of moving away from wipers which are not particularly reliable.
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I don't think you're tossing on $20 wiper blades if you own a McLaren.
 
xIronCrossx said:
ITT: People angry because they can't afford cars like this, and through this stupid rage don't care about innovation.

If no one ever asked "How can we improve this" do you think we would have any technology today? :rolleyes:
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The SPL needed to keep a 30khz signal in "forcefield" state has to be really high. Any animal with sensitive hearing is also going to lose their minds. It may even lead to tinnitus, even though it is outside of the limits of human hearing.
 
LeninGHOLA said:
The SPL needed to keep a 30khz signal in "forcefield" state has to be really high. Any animal with sensitive hearing is also going to lose their minds. It may even lead to tinnitus, even though it is outside of the limits of human hearing.
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It's a start.
 
rudy said:
Ya because windshield wipers that wear out every couple months work so much better. They smear crap all over your windows, oh and if you don't pay 3x the price for them they fall apart and a piece of metal hanging down scrapes your windows. Maybe its different because I live in a cold climate but windshield wipers are garbage. Never used a good one. They are a constant nuisance.
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Theonly ones I ever used that lasted for a while without giving me problems, where my Saab dealerships wiper blades. I think they were made by Valeo. Everything else I've tried, inclusing the more expensive curved varieties have never been a good experience.
 
Mchart said:
They design F1 cars, and road cars using top of the line F1 technology.

They don't do 2 dollar jobs. They do the best job. Period. The best job costs the most money.
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To be fair, current generation of F1 is the least relevant to the motor industry in history. Still 2013. I agree, though. McLaren and $2 job in the same sentence is nonsense in every way imaginable.
 
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