Keeping your car clean -- if the garage can be convinced to give it back
Some interesting auto-related items caught our attention this week. And why not? Garages are among the most desired home features, according to NAR research, and a car is often one of the most essential tools in a REALTOR®'s business. So here goes: In future summer droughts, you might keep your car clean by washing it in an inflatable "dishwasher" in your driveway, says the BBC News. Developed by Britain's Motor Industry Research Association (Mira), the gadget washes cars in a mixture of steam and fine mist, using just 4 liters of water. Mira imagines the car dishwasher would be used by commercial enterprises before becoming an "aspirational item" for the home.
Of course, Mira's dishwasher device won't be of much use if you can't convince the garage to give back your car, which in the future could be more of a problem than you might think. A robotic parking facility in Hoboken, New Jersey, refused to retrieve the cars it had parked last week, reports Wired News, leaving several irrate drivers without wheels. The malfunction was caused by an expired software license, which the city forgot to renew.
