EVER lost your cool behind the wheel on a rainy day, as you deal with the hazardous road condition while the side mirrors on your car fog up? This could well be a thing of the past, if Marie Kwok Shi Yun’s “Vehicle Side Mirror Cleaner” becomes available on the market.

The simple but effective contraption won her the Silver Award at the Tan Kah Kee Young Inventors’ Awards 2009.

How It Works
A Nitec in Automotive Technology student at ITE College West, Marie devised a simple product that would provide a convenient solution for drivers to have a clearer view from the side mirrors of their vehicles in wet weather conditions.

The device is frills-free and easy to install – simply position it on top of the vehicle side mirror housing and then tighten the two retaining screws to secure the device. Using the principle of aerodynamics, when the vehicle is in motion, air will be channeled into a vent and diverted onto the mirror surface, thus blowing away the water droplets.

“Conceptualising the product was the easy part, but designing the prototype was a challenge for me. I had difficulty moulding the device into shape, and it was important for me to get the curvature right in order for the aerodynamics to take effect. After a few attempts, I finally got the desired outcome,” beamed a satisfied Marie.