Gizmodo: windshield

OLED Windshields May Provide the Evolution of the Middle Finger

Dan Nosowitz — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 15:30:00 EST

This OLED windshield concept has some nice safety possibilities, like a more visible brake light and turn signals. But I want one so I can give a giant digital middle finger to the jerk tailing me.

The concept features both front and rear displays, and they're user-customizable so you could show support for your favorite local sports team (go Philadelphia Kixx!) or flash a big stop sign to augment your brake lights. But isn't this just asking for pranks?

It's still in the concept stage, although if a manufacturer picks it up, it could be ready for release in 2 or 3 years. Until then, I'll have to be satisfied with the old-fashioned analog method: the two middle fingers God gave me. [Wired]

Asus R710 GPS with Head-Up Display Demoed on Video

Kit Eaton — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 10:00:00 EDT

This is some video of Asus' swanky new GPS model that projects data onto your windshield, saving you from distracting yourself from the road by peering at a device screen. So will the R710 make you feel like you're flying a fighter aircraft with glitzy HUD graphics? No, not really, as it projects just some very basic info, like distance to next turn and which direction you're going in. But if it prevents accidents, and makes navigating across tricky junctions a little easier since you won't have to move your eyes from the road, seems like a great idea to me. [Navigadget]

Wiperless Windshield Concept Brings Minimalism to Your Vehicle

Haroon Malik — Sun, 24 Feb 2008 13:00:00 EST

Leonardo Fioravanti of the awesome vehicle design house Pininfarina has put together a prototype car, called Hidra, which has a windshield that negates the necessity for conventional wipers. The design relies on aerodynamics and surface treatment alone, which will supposedly be enough to keep a fly-away tree branch from obscuring your line of vision. The chemical treatments applied are where the autonomous cleaning action really happens, and they actually sound quite interesting.

The first layer deals with the sun and water; it prevents harmful rays from entering and has hydrophobic properties, ensuring water is repelled away. The second layer incorporates nano dust, and the treatment gives the screen the ability to "push" dirt away to the edges of the glass surface, which in turn relies on the third layer; a receptor surface that alerts the nano-dusted glass to do its self-cleaning business when grime is detected. Finally, an electrically conductive material is applied, which passes on electricity to power the entire mechanism.

Apparently, this could be mainstream in five years, but for us it makes more problems than it appears to solve; e.g. would it really remove our aforementioned fly-away tree branch? Would we receive an electric shock if we touched it whilst it was cleaning? What does it do with the dirt at the edges of the windshield? Why doesn't someone make a fully functioning Millennium Falcon? So many questions, so few physical windscreen wipers on the Hidra concept car. [Sparking Tech; la Repubblica]

Microsoft's Windshield HUD Has Lots of Info, Hopefully Never Crashes

Jason Chen — Fri, 24 Aug 2007 19:10:26 EDT

This Microsoft patent describes a heads up user interface on windshields that shows useful information for the driver right where the eyes are. The patent takes information from cellphones, car stereos, your GPS, maps, weather, temperature, email, car instruments and probably the Zune, and places it your eyeline. Much more useful than taking a big ass table with you into the car. [Patent via Slashdot via Crave]

LightInSight Wide Angle Windshield Lens Lets You see Traffic Lights Easily

Jason Chen — Wed, 06 Sep 2006 07:00:45 EDT

When you're first in line at a light, it may be hard to see what the traffic lights are without straining your neck and leaning forward like a giraffe in heat. LightInSight solves your problem by sticking onto the top of your windshield, refracting light in such a way so you can see when red becomes green. Only costs $13, but makes your windshield look kinda goofy. – Jason Chen

Product Page [LightInSight via kk via Lifehacker]

Vauxhall's New Panoramic Windshields

Jason Chen — Fri, 16 Jun 2006 19:43:18 EDT

Vauxhall (a European car brand) is introducing a panoramic windshield option to their new Astra GTC model cars. The windshield extends up and past your head, meaning you have a view of everything from in front of you to right behind your noggin. This eliminates the steel above the windshield, which means if you ever flip your vehicle there's less protection for your skull. That's the tradeoff you make to get the feeling that you're in an open space. That, and the sun directly shining in your eyes from above, but there's a power shade that can be pulled forward to shield yourself in case of a sunny day.

Car lovers in the US will just have to wait and see if GM's Ion, which is based on the Astra, will have this same panoramic windshield as an option. – Jason Chen

Vauxhall Astra Panoramic lets drivers soak up the sun [Autoblog via Mobilemag]

HotShot Heated Windshield Fluid

Jason Chen — Wed, 07 Jun 2006 16:50:22 EDT

Living in California has lots of perks; one of which is not having to clean ice and snow off your windshield. But for you poor bastards living in less temperate climates, here's the HotShot. The HotShot is a special heating chamber that warms up washer fluid as it goes through your car and out onto your windshield. It takes 45 seconds for the fluid to heat up to optimal temperature (145 degrees F) to clean the ice and gunk off your windshield.

There are some videos on the site (they don't work for us, unfortunately). Call their toll free number for pricing info. – Jason Chen

Hot Shot [via Jalopnik]