--- title: "Tesla Locks Down Patent for Laser Windshield Wipers" description: "Tesla has managed to lock down a rather unusual patent last week: using laser beams as windshield wipers, as first spotted by Electrek." date: "2021-09-09" modified: "2021-09-09" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/tesla-patent-laser-windshield-wipers" categories: - "Advanced Transport" - "Tesla" tags: - "lasers" - "tesla" - "the digest" --- # Tesla Locks Down Patent for Laser Windshield Wipers ![Tesla has managed to lock down a rather unusual patent last week: using laser beams as windshield wipers, as first spotted by Electrek.]() *\Image: Tesla/Futurism\* ## Laser Windshield Wipers Tesla has managed to lock down a rather unusual patent: using laser beams as windshield wipers, as [first spotted by *Electrek*](). Textbook over-engineering or a huge advancement in the car industry? We're not entirely sure. The [patent application]() details a "cleaning system" that "includes a beam optics assembly that emits a laser beam to irradiate a region on a glass article of the vehicle." The system will automatically detect "debris," read: water, on the glass and focus the laser beam where it is needed. ## Zap To eliminate the possibility of having beaming lasers into the eyes of the driver — a less-than-ideal scenario to be sure — the laser beam will not be powerful enough to penetrate the thickness of the glass. The barebones images included in the application show a set of two laser wipers mounted to the center of a vehicle outline's hood. ![]() The patent application was filed in May 2019, but published [later that year](), around the time Tesla [unveiled its equally futuristic Cybertruck](). But the US Patent and Trademark Office only granted the car company the patent earlier this week, according to *Electrek*. Since it's just a patent, there's realistically only a slim chance that Tesla will actually introduce laser wipers. A different patent suggests that the company's wipers could be [based on electromagnetic technology]() as well. It's an admittedly gimmicky idea — but then again, that's kind of Tesla's thing. The [now-delayed]() Cybertruck will feature plenty of [oddball design features]() of its own. The company's upcoming Roadster might even feature a ["SpaceX package"]() option that tricks it out with actual rocket thrusters — just in case laser windshield wipers aren't sci-fi enough. **READ MORE:** [Tesla obtains patent on its wild idea to use lasers as windshield wipers]() \[*Electrek*\] **More on Tesla:** *[Elon Musk Reportedly Planning $25,000 Tesla with No Steering Wheel]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()