Carsidemirror and more

Common Side mirror are designed flat and have an accurate sense of distance with other cars, but it has a narrow range of view resulting in a blind spot at the back side of a car. Even rear view mirrors can't spot that particular side of the car.There are curved mirror that offer a wider range of view, but distorts lines making straight lines turn curve. They also make things smaller and appear farther.
Now it's a thing of the past cause there's a new subtly curved mirror invented by a mathematics professor Dr. R. Andrew Hicks from Drexel University.These mirror has a slight distortion but not as great as curved mirror. Dr. R. Andrew Hicks created the Hicks driver side mirror with a 45 degrees point of view. Dr. R. Andrew designed this mirror using a mathematical algorithm that precisely controls the angle of light bouncing of the driver side mirror.



Hicks said. “The algorithm is a set of calculations to manipulate the direction of each face of the metaphorical disco ball so that each ray of light bouncing off the mirror shows the driver a wide, but not-too-distorted, picture of the scene behind him.”   

In the United States, regulations dictate that cars coming off of the assembly line must have a flat mirror on the driver’s side. Curved mirrors are allowed for cars’ passenger-side mirrors only if they include the phrase “Objects in mirror are closer than they appear.”
Because of these regulations, Hicks’s mirrors will not be placed on new cars sold in the U.S. any time soon. The mirror may be manufactured and sold as an aftermarket product that drivers and mechanics can install on cars after purchase. Some countries in Europe and Asia do allow slightly curved mirrors on new cars. Hicks has received interest from investors and manufacturers who may pursue opportunities to license and produce the mirror.
The U.S. patent, “Wide angle substantially non-distorting mirror” (United States Patent 8180606) was awarded to Drexel University on May 15, 2012.