Windscreen Wiper

cars · engineering · safety

Rubber blade design. The wiper blade is made of rubber that presses against the windscreen as it slides back and forth. This rubber squeegees away water, snow, ice, and dirt in one smooth motion.

Almost all vehicles. Cars, trucks, buses, trains, boats, and even some airplanes have windscreen wipers. They are so important that most countries legally require them on vehicles.

Powered by motors. An electric motor under your dashboard makes the wipers swing back and forth at different speeds. You can usually choose slow, fast, or intermittent wiping depending on how hard it's raining.

Washer fluid spray. Many wipers work together with a washer fluid spray system that shoots a cleaning liquid on the window first. The wiper then clears away the liquid and dirt together.

Smart modern wipers. Today's fancy wipers can sense when it starts raining and automatically turn on by themselves. Some even adjust their speed based on how heavy the rain is.