Vehicle: Car: Windshield: Vision
Switch-clear windshield   (+1, -1)  [vote for, against]
A switch on the dash clears the windsheild

The surface of the windsheild is coated with a transparent conductive coating, or a very thin grid of wires slightly below the surface. Most debris, ie. pollutants, road "grime", ect. are positively charged particles. A switch in the dash would activate a high voltage unit, connected to the windsheild, and would ionize the surface of the windsheild to "repel" positively charged particles. The polarity could also be reversed, if necessary for oppositely charged particles. Added "benifit" would be a nice blueish corona glow at night, for those who like kidstuff lighting effects.
-- BruceRH90, Apr 02 2006

Anti-rain_20magneti...orcefield#966618000 [xaviergisz, Apr 03 2006]

Give me a link that shows that most road dust is positively or negatively charged, and I'll give you a bun.

Because if most road grime is neutral, this won't work.

sp: windshield
-- DesertFox, Apr 02 2006


The notion of car bearing the wiped statement "wash me" punctuated by a burned-on fingerprint is too cool to ignore.
-- reensure, Apr 02 2006


To be fair, it would charge and then eject neutral particles too.

However, I think the effect would be offset by the electrostatic attraction the windshield would have to neutral and negative particles floating about in the air. Depends on what voltages were involved, I suppose.

What would happen were you to turn it on in the rain?
-- zack112358, Apr 02 2006


windshields are expensive enough without adding this stupid device that probally won't work anyway
-- kristoferburrito, Apr 03 2006


Yeah.
That's the spirit. \: /

(+) although it may go the way of the dinosaur for being redundant with the linked idea.
-- 2 fries shy of a happy meal, Apr 03 2006


// To be fair, it would charge and then eject neutral particles too. //

It would charge and then attract neutral particles.
-- notexactly, May 19 2018



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