Profile: Technology

The SHAKER™ is packaged in a compact unit that securely clamps onto the existing wiper arm, without blocking the driver's vision. As a side reference, during original crash testing studies, the SHAKER™ not only stayed clamped to both wiper arms during the crash, but also continued to be operational despite the vehicle having been totaled!

To use, the driver simply presses a momentary switch (with its embedded LED) inside the vehicle. This activates a specially designed weight, that spins inside the SHAKER™, and that creates the necessary high output vibration. This resultant vibration rapidly lifts the wiper blade approximately 1/16th of inch, in and out of contact with the windshield. When done while the wipers are moving across the windshield, a "skipping" pattern of 1" to 2" is created and it is this skipping pattern that allows the trapped frozen debris to be cleared away from the wiper blade and thus return the blade to it's normal, full contact squeegee state. The alternative of course, if you do not have a SHAKER™ installed on your vehicle, is to try and tap the wiper blade against the windshield as many presently still do - a cold and potentially dangerous thing to attempt while driving!

Because of the skipping affect, the SHAKER™ can also be used to improve washer fluid usage and help free up A-Pillar snow build-up problems at the early stage. Also, because the vibration travels throughout the entire wiper blade superstructure it can also be used to free up frozen joint problems at the early stage, commonly known as "conformance" related problems (normally dealt with by way of a winter or "booted" blade if not torn). What could be simpler?

Why vibration?

Vibrating a wiper blade to assist in fixing frozen debris related problems, simply makes a wiper blade more dynamic, i.e., it adds another dimension to the blade wiper blade's capabilities.

These capabilities not only apply to winter usage but also offer some benefit related to non-winter situations such as leaves, twigs or pine needles trapped under the wiper blade or even bird droppings, large bug debris (e.g. Mayflies) or mud on a windshield when used with washer fluid (see FAQ #11).

These enhanced capabilities of the wiper blade are all possible because of what the vibration actually does to wiper blade. Specifically vibrating a wiper blade can be used in either the parked or moving position, but more importantly it's when the wiper blade is moving, where the real benefits are realized. Because of the drag coefficient of a moving wiper blade, once applied, vibration literally causes the moving wiper blade to skip across the windshield. It is this skipping effect that makes the vibration solution so effective, as it allows the blade to deal more effectively with problems - also allowing washer fluid to be used much more effectively (e.g., keeping it on the windshield much longer).

The SHAKER™ is also safe on the environment unlike some chemically related solutions.