Full service car washes are loved by consumers, yet today the other types of car washes such as; roll-over automatics, coin-op and touch-less systems are far out pacing the old conveyor type car wash models. This is due to a number of reasons really, one is because these the labor supply in the upswing of the economy is tight. Other reasons include or are due to lawsuits, competition and costs to build.

Is there a way to bring back the good old days when you sent your car wash thru and watched it get a wash? Kids love carwashes and it is a meaningful experience indeed. With the future of the robotics era nearly upon us and almost in full swing now, nowhere else can you see so readily and first hand the mechanisms which brought pre-dated our current technologies. One thing car washes need to do is to bring back the customer service which is expected, keep the price low and allow the consumer to feel that experience again.

I therefore propose bright colored lights to be incorporated into the motion of the robotic mechanisms and arms as they move. These lights will not be powered off of the power grid but be lit up using electromagnetic induction technology to charge a capacitor instead of the lights working off a power source or battery.

Currently there are some nifty micro-flashlights being used which you can buy which use a similar technique and are available thanks to the Everlite Flashlight technology research lab. These smaller flashlights work by shaking them for about thirty seconds and shine for about 6 minutes and they shine quite bright since they use a very bright LED light. Here is a link to this home use flashlight:

http://demo.physics.uiuc.edu/LectDemo/scripts/demo_descript.idc?DemoID=1138

Such lights are very low wattage and are very bright indeed. By using some mirrors and the bright lights we can simulate the electronic eyes and sonar sound devices that the car wash uses to sense the car. Thus the kids will start to understand better how all this works and demand that parents get their cars washed the real way, the old fashion way. Of course this is not a substitute for shotty service, in fact it is just the opposite, it is a call to up grade the entire car wash experience from head to toe. Think on this.

Lance Winslow

Currently Lance is retired at age 40 and is running an Online Think Tank Forum while traveling North America. Perhaps considering something extremely challenging to do that will exercise his mind and utilize all his experiences, observations and skills. Any ideas?