A car's blind spot is one of life's accepted inconveniences. Check your mirror, lean forward, look over your shoulder and change lanes. That is standard operating procedure.
But a math professor from Drexel University in Philadelphia named Andrew Hicks has designed a curved mirror that eliminates most of that blind spot, using a mathematic algorithm that increases your field of view from the current standard of 15 to 17 degrees to an astonishing 45 degrees without distorting the image.
To achieve the design without the fun-house or fish-eye effect, Professor Hicks's patented design is similar to a disco ball with tiny individual mirrors precisely directed using his algorithm, so that each ray of light bouncing of the mirror shows a wide yet undistorted view.
But don't expect the newest car designs to roll off the production line with these mirrors just yet. At this point, manufacturers are still required to install side view mirrors that are flat, due to issues with distortion. But Prof. Hick's just received his patent so it may take some time for the rules to catch up. Until then, you will most likely first see the mirrors in after market car part stores where curved mirrors are allowed to be sold. And don't be alarmed - while the prototype cost an exorbitant $20,000, expanded manufacturing will greatly reduce the cost for consumers.