Remember when Tesla filed a patent to replace traditional windshield wipers with lasers that clear debris from the windshield? Well, nearly two years later, Electrek has discovered the wild patent has been officially granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office. Yes, really.
Tesla refers to the technology as “Pulsed laser cleaning of debris accumulated on glass articles in vehicles and photovoltaic assemblies.” The laser beams act as “a cleaning system for a vehicle” and “includes a beam optics assembly that emits a laser beam to irradiate a region on a glass article of the vehicle, debris detection circuitry that detects debris accumulated over the region, and control circuitry.”
https://carbuzz.com/news/teslas-wild-laser-windshield-wiper-patent-has-been-approved