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The Mercedes Monoblade was my favorite design, although it was notoriously expensive and unreliable. https://99percentinvisible.org/article/behind-screens-wind

The Mercedes Monoblade was my favorite design, although it was notoriously expensive and unreliable. https://99percentinvisible.org/article/behind-screens-windshield-clearing-designs-wipers-spin-windows/ https://99percentinvisible.org/article/behind-screens-windsh...

benj111 7y ago
Unreliable how??? My family were a Citroen (hydropneumatic suspension ftw) family growing up, so we had a variety of 'monobladed' cars, the wipers weren't one of the unreliable parts.
- MontyCarloHall 7y ago
  The Mercedes wiper didn't simply sweep out a circular arc, like most monobladed cars (including IIRC Citroëns); it used a complex gearing system to vary the blade radius to better cover the windshield's corners. Naturally, this over-engineered system was prone to breakage. * Photos and diagrams here: http://www.spannerhead.com/2012/11/28/technical-curiosities-mercedes-monoblade-wiper/ http://www.spannerhead.com/2012/11/28/technical-curiosities-... * A slow-motion video of the wiper in action here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHtEAMwcWI4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHtEAMwcWI4 * And a couple visualizations of how it works mechanically: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_quBiMLqNoc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_quBiMLqNoc, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LdNu113Ep2U https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LdNu113Ep2U
jacquesm 7y ago
I've had a couple of those, never had one fail. Important to keep them lubed up though, and not to run them on dry windows, but that goes for all wipers alike.
todd8 7y ago
Yes I had such a MB wiper and never had any trouble with it. It provided good coverage of the windshield. Today, my MB uses two wipers, but it is nevertheless an interesting design as well. Windshield cleaner fluid is not sprayed out though jets that roughly cover the windshield; instead the cleaner fluid comes out from the blades themselves as they move across the windshield. This is almost not visible while it is happening, while cleaning the windshield just as well or better without vision obscuring spraying.

benj111 7y ago

Unreliable how??? My family were a Citroen (hydropneumatic suspension ftw) family growing up, so we had a variety of 'monobladed' cars, the wipers weren't one of the unreliable parts.

MontyCarloHall 7y ago
The Mercedes wiper didn't simply sweep out a circular arc, like most monobladed cars (including IIRC Citroëns); it used a complex gearing system to vary the blade radius to better cover the windshield's corners. Naturally, this over-engineered system was prone to breakage. * Photos and diagrams here: http://www.spannerhead.com/2012/11/28/technical-curiosities-mercedes-monoblade-wiper/ http://www.spannerhead.com/2012/11/28/technical-curiosities-... * A slow-motion video of the wiper in action here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHtEAMwcWI4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHtEAMwcWI4 * And a couple visualizations of how it works mechanically: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_quBiMLqNoc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_quBiMLqNoc, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LdNu113Ep2U https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LdNu113Ep2U

jacquesm 7y ago

I've had a couple of those, never had one fail. Important to keep them lubed up though, and not to run them on dry windows, but that goes for all wipers alike.

todd8 7y ago

Yes I had such a MB wiper and never had any trouble with it. It provided good coverage of the windshield. Today, my MB uses two wipers, but it is nevertheless an interesting design as well. Windshield cleaner fluid is not sprayed out though jets that roughly cover the windshield; instead the cleaner fluid comes out from the blades themselves as they move across the windshield. This is almost not visible while it is happening, while cleaning the windshield just as well or better without vision obscuring spraying.