Window Wiper Technology
According to Ohio History Central, prior to 1905 there was no technology in place to wipe the windows of automobiles. Various types of wipers have since been invented to clear rain, snow and other debris from windows with varying amounts of success.
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Early Wipers
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Ohio History Central reports that in 1905 Mary Anderson invented a manual wiper operated by a driver with a lever inside an automobile, this proved impractical as the driver had to constantly move the lever. In the early 1920s a vacuum powered wiper was introduced that used the vacuum created by the engine manifold to power a single wiper across the windshield. This was also deemed impractical as the speed of the car determined the speed the wiper would move across the windshield.
Electric
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The vacuum wiper technology progressed to wipers powered by electric motors and a series of arms and linkages, according to the 2 Car Pros website. As the technology has progressed electric powered front windshield and rear window wipers have incorporated different speed settings and intermittent wiper settings.
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Technology
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JD Power explains wiper technology in 2010 includes rain sensing wipers that use a sensor that projects infrared light onto a small area of the windshield and reads the amount of light returned, allowing wipers to work automatically without driver intervention. The Cars website explains freezing temperatures can interfere with wiper technology, leading to the introduction of heated areas where wipers sit when not in use helping the wiper move smoothly across the window in freezing temperatures.
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