Some of the features have sizes comparable to the wavelength of visible light. I would be very, very surprised if you could see clearly through a surface patterned like this.
"As the water bounces off the super-hydrophobic surfaces, it also collects dust particles and takes them along for the ride... Better yet, it remains completely dry."
That requires a sufficient water-to-dust ratio.
Driving jeeps in the Congo, or having dust blown up from dunes in a sudden gust, will require wipers. Not to mention pollen.
Hmm, that's not a bad idea! Current sprayers would obviously be inefficient because they rely on wipers to spread fluid widely over the windshield, but I'm sure that could be changed. (Such as a top pressure-rail for dispensation)
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Shark skin has similar properties. The sharks use it for super efficient swimming, it reduces their drag considerably.
http://www.asknature.org/strategy/038caf2e453c09b3016465cc6c...
Car wash companies will hate this stuff, and wouldn't it be nice if it could be etched into windshields, no more wipers!
Some of the features have sizes comparable to the wavelength of visible light. I would be very, very surprised if you could see clearly through a surface patterned like this.
"Car wash companies will hate this stuff."
Never took you for a limb air headline writer! :)
You still need to wash off the dust, so some sort of wipers are needed still.
When swimming, the drag is pretty minor, most of your energy is spent on the displacement of water. That's true with fish, and with ships and boats.
"As the water bounces off the super-hydrophobic surfaces, it also collects dust particles and takes them along for the ride... Better yet, it remains completely dry."
That requires a sufficient water-to-dust ratio. Driving jeeps in the Congo, or having dust blown up from dunes in a sudden gust, will require wipers. Not to mention pollen.
Couldn't you still have sprayers that would help with this?
Hmm, that's not a bad idea! Current sprayers would obviously be inefficient because they rely on wipers to spread fluid widely over the windshield, but I'm sure that could be changed. (Such as a top pressure-rail for dispensation)
lotus effect