There are over 1,300 robots in the Detroit-Hamtramck factory, but removing lint is still done the old-school way. Apparently female ostrich feathers (no boys allowed, because the females' feathers are softer and more durable) make the best dusters. Thousands of plumes are assembled and attached to huge rollers that look like the spinning washers in drive-through car washes. To remove lint, cars essentially go through a car wash, minus the water.
When ostrich feathers rub against each other, they generate static electricity. This charge removes microscopic bits of dust from freshly painted — and dried — car bodies. To ensure that paint sticks to the car's metal body, vehicle shells must go through this feathering process before each coat of paint is applied.
Don't worry, no birds are harmed to make this happen. Ostriches shed feathers naturally, and these plumes were collected during that process.
