Mercedes-Benz has developed a system for clearing snow from a car's roof using compressed air. The corresponding patent application has been published by the German patent office.
The engineers have proposed building pneumatic nozzles into the car's roof and roof rails. A schematic drawing of an estate car shows four devices, two on each side, near the front and rear doors. The nozzles can be either fixed or retractable.
The system is activated at the press of a button and directs a stream of air at the edges of the roof near the door openings. The development is intended to prevent snow from getting into the cabin when the doors are opened.
Mercedes-Benz has not yet commented on the patent or said whether it plans to use the technology in production cars.
In September, it emerged that Tesla had patented a system for cleaning the windscreen with lasers. The proposed technology would replace conventional windscreen wipers.
