It's rush hour, and you're headed due West on your evening commute -- the sun burning holes in your eyes. You could flip down a window visor, trading your field of view for visibility. Or, with a prototype shown off at
Intel's 2010 International Science and Engineering Fair, you could simply let the windshield darken on its own. Two San Diego students (both accustomed to copious amounts of sunshine) rigged a Toyota Prius to do just that by stringing up
electrochromic panels, which dim when voltage is applied. The trick is figuring out when and where to apply it, because when the sun is shining the panels themselves all receive the same amount of light. So instead of gauging it at the glass, Aaron Schild and Rafael Cosman found that an ultrasonic range finder could track the driver's position while a VGA webcam measured the light
coming through, and darken the sections liable to cause the most eyestrain. We saw a prototype in person, and it most certainly works... albeit slowly. If you're rearing to roll your own, it seems raw materials are reasonably affordable -- Schild told us electrochromic segments cost $0.25 per square inch -- but you may not need to DIY. Having won $4,000 in prize money at the Fair, the teens say they intend to commercialize the technology, and envision it natively embedded in window glass in the not-too-distant future. Here's hoping
GM gives them a call. See pics of the Prius below, or check out a video demo of their prototype right after the break.
posted May 15th 2010 12:03PM
sunglasses. way cheaper + you look cool
@ajwoodhouse
+ you look stupid wearing them in a car.
@ajwoodhouse
Looks like I....
*Reaches into Jacket Pocket and grabs sunglasses*
won't be....
*Puts on sunglasses*
blinded by the sun.
YEEAAAHHH!
This was invented by Volkswagen a LOOONG time ago.
Somehow I need to congratulate you. This is your first reasonable comment. Ever.
Just the thing for when my car is too bright to correctly perform a Voight Kampff test on the move.
@hated one
Hopefully this means you are reading them?
Annoying tune...
so what happens when I hit a tunnel
Or when I go underneath LAX on eleventyseven lane Sepulveda
So theoretically, you can use this in windshields so when a camera tries to take your picture.(when you speed or pass the red light) the bright camera flash will darken the windshield so they can't see the driver. Awesome!!!!!
Wouldn't this be illegal in some states?
Too bad there are patents on this already as well as other techniques similar to the one used in transition lenses and some energy saving windows.
GM would have to ring them up in a conference call with every other company who has proposed this idea and some legal types to sort all of it out.
my rearview mirror has something like
Epic video music.
Just a quick question for night time use?
Full beam, headlights, and street lights wont leave dark patches on the windscreen? I wouldn't want any area of my windscreen to block my vision at night?
I'm guessing its only UV or something?
Maybe one day you'll be able to park your car and have the windows darken completely in order to prevent smash and grab thefts.
@hated one
Hated One = 2010 Troll of the Year. I have to admit, i laugh out loud at his ridiculous comments. But I agree with you here... viva Engadget!
Okay, so where do we get those 25 cent segments exactly. I cant seem to find a company selling anything like that anywhere, so I must not be searching for the right thing...