Windshield wipers and sun visors: basic technology with a future in our modern car

In modern cars there is increasingly more technology that improves the driving experience and increases safety. But even today, when we find so much technology designed to make us enjoy greater comfort and convenience, there is basic technology that remains present in the car and which, although improvements have been added, still uses the same mechanism as when it was created.

The windshield wiper, basic technology

A good example of this “old” technology found in the car is the windshield wiper. Although it has been improved with technology that increases its efficiency, such as the rain sensor, it remains faithful to the principle with which it was first installed. When activated, rods perform a movement that pushes blades which expel the water and dirt found on the windshield.

With such a basic operation, the windshield wiper has been able to withstand the passage of time and has become something indispensable and absolutely necessary. And completely practical from a safety standpoint since Mary Anderson patented it in 1903. But new functions have been added to its simple mechanism, and this means that it now has rain sensors, as well as blades that are gradually being modernized to be more efficient.

Windshields are equipped with sensors and, although changing the blades is quite simple, if the windshield breaks the situation can be more complex. Replacing a windshield is simple, but all the technology it is equipped with must be taken into account. That is why, if it includes these more complex systems, it is advisable for the replacement to be carried out by a specialized workshop.

The industry’s trend is moving toward a type of windshield that can eliminate water through the use of new materials that prevent it from remaining on the glass, but the function of cleaning the glass will still remain for a long time, even as technology applied to the windshield increases.

The sun visor, another essential

The sun visor is even simpler and yet, it remains an element that resists disappearing. A simple opaque screen that unfolds from the roof and prevents the sun from dazzling. The first car to use a sun visor was the Ford T in 1924. In 1931 all Ford models had two, and in 1938 it sought to patent it. It was in 1954 when a partial patent for an extendable sun visor was registered.

On the back of the sun visor mirrors, lighting and other improvements have been added, but its function has been maintained over the years. Today its use can be complemented with technology in the windshield that darkens the upper part of the windshield to prevent glare. Not long ago, the proposal from Bosch was made public, which, thanks to a transparent sun visor and artificial intelligence, detects where the sun is hitting and darkens only the area that may be bothersome for the driver.

And despite all these advances, these two basic technologies remain unchanged in their main operation. Will they remain in cars for a long time, increasingly technological and modern? By all appearances, they will continue to be an indispensable element in the most modern models.