No matter what you call it, it’s cool!
In short, smart glass or electric tint is basically a coating on your glass (glazing if you will) that reacts to an electrical current. When there is no current, the glass is opaque but when you hit the switch it’s perfectly transparent.
Simple! ;)
Why is it so cool? Well for starters you won’t need curtains ever again! Second, just imagine how jealous your friends and neighbors will be when they see how your windows “white-out” with a flick of a switch! Instant privacy.
Smart glass technologies are electrochromic devices, suspended particle devices, and liquid crystal devices. I know that doesn’t mean much to you (me neither) but there are slight differences between them and the way they block UV rays and the Sun’s heat.
Smart glass (or switchable glass) is often used for skylights where it can be most useful since using or cleaning any type of blind on a skylight can be rather difficult and frustrating.
Even though the technology behind it is pretty old, these systems can still be quite expensive (although not so expensive that they prevent ordinary people from owning them). I’m not sure if there are any well known companies (Nation wide chains, etc.) selling or installing these systems but if you know of one please don’t hesitate to leave a comment for the rest of us! (don’t spam though, one link per electric tint company is enough)
Picture from takatuka
is the chemical compound of the glass different or is it a film that… if so what is this chemical that allows for such a drastic change?
This is a great idea to keep cooling bills down if it actually blocks heat… and heating bills if it allows heat in when not activated.
Jason – I think it’s a film (or glaze) that is applied to the glass.
Ryan – If it works as good as most manufacturers claim then it should be pretty good… if not, at least it’s a cool gadget!
I saw this on a home show a few years back. They used it in a bathroom. Such a great idea.
is there a 12 volt version? if so how could i get it installed or can i do it myself?
i meant to include that i would eant it for a car…
I’m not sure but I do recall hearing about “electric car tint” some time ago… maybe it’s the same thing?
This sounds like an efficient way to tint your windows. My main question is, How much does it cost? I also wonder how much it would cost to fix if a pebble hits your window and you get a crack. You will need to replace the whole window. Hopefully it is affordable. If there is an affordable company that sales this electric tent I would buy it for my car. I need something extra to pimp my ride.
I think it’s expensive. :(
I could be wrong but from what I’ve heard, it’ll cost you.
On the bright side, cars have much less glass than houses and car tint usually goes on the inside.
free car quote…
Excellent post. Keep it up!…
I think the smart tint for cars would be a great invention, I would probably invest money into something like this. Does anybody know if this can be bought to reality?