Old Writings

Engineering Challenge

I hate windshield wipers. I don't think I've ever had a vehicle, including the newest ones,
that didn't have windshield wipers that drove me nuts at some point. The part that always
gets me is the immutable fact that they ALWAYS crap out in the middle, right in the line
of sight.

But the real reason I'm annoyed is this: they have never changed. We have had the same basic idea for windshield wipers since the dawn of automotive time. So that's what-100+ years? There have been variations, true- intermittent, the cross-from-the-center design,
but basically they've never changed. So why is it that we are cloning animals, developing nano-technology, and making supercomuter laptops and no one has a better idea on how
to get the rain and snow off a windshield?

The reason is status-quo thinking. It's good enough, if it ain't broke, don't fix it, we've always done it that way, yada, yada, yada, blah, blah, blah. I'm sure there is an economic factor to this as well. Still, the little things that we look at from new angles often lead to changes in
big things. Maybe a new look at windshield wiper design would lead to rethinking how windshields themselves work which could lead to a whole new concept for how to design cars. It's not really that outlandish, when you think of it. I know it's an extreme analogy,
but it works.

If I were a millionaire (someday, but not yet), I would give a substantial reward to any
engineer able to develop a new system for windshield water removal.

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