Skip to main content

Cool new glass technology will darken a room automatically

mit self shading window windows
MIT
Automatic tinting is one of the greatest inventions for those who wear glasses. This must-have option will save your eyesight by darkening when exposed to the sunlight and returning to normal when in the dark. So wouldn’t it be great if the windows in your house were able to self-shade just like your glasses? Well, that is precisely what a team of engineers from MIT proposes to do.

The researchers have created a form of glass infused with an electrochromic material that changes color when exposed to electricity. The glass can change from transparent to almost black instantly when an electrical current is passed through it.

Related Videos

The material responsible for the color change is a sponge-like metal-organic framework (MOF) that is capable or conducting both electrons and ions at high speeds. When electricity is applied to the window, the window’s changes causing the MOF to react and change color. Once in its black state, the electricity can be turned off, and the window can remain darkened without any further input or manipulation.

This isn’t the first time scientists have created self-shading windows, but it may be the instance that is the most efficient. The MIT system changes color instantly and only needs electricity when making the color switch. “It’s this combination of these two, of a relatively fast switching time and a nearly black color, that has really got people excited,” said MIT professor of chemistry Mircea Dincă.

Dincă believes the technology has the potential to transform household cooling by reducing the need for an air conditioner. “You could just flip a switch when the sun shines through the window, and turn it dark,” said Dincă, adding this technique could produce “pretty significant energy savings” for homeowners.

Currently, the technology has been demonstrated only in the laboratory, and reported in the online journal Chem. The next step for researchers is to build a 1-inch square sample that will showcase the technology and allow the team to demonstrate it for potential investors.

Editors' Recommendations

The next big thing in science is already in your pocket
A researcher looks at a protein diagram on his monitor

Supercomputers are an essential part of modern science. By crunching numbers and performing calculations that would take eons for us humans to complete by ourselves, they help us do things that would otherwise be impossible, like predicting hurricane flight paths, simulating nuclear disasters, or modeling how experimental drugs might effect human cells. But that computing power comes at a price -- literally. Supercomputer-dependent research is notoriously expensive. It's not uncommon for research institutions to pay upward of $1,000 for a single hour of supercomputer use, and sometimes more, depending on the hardware that's required.

But lately, rather than relying on big, expensive supercomputers, more and more scientists are turning to a different method for their number-crunching needs: distributed supercomputing. You've probably heard of this before. Instead of relying on a single, centralized computer to perform a given task, this crowdsourced style of computing draws computational power from a distributed network of volunteers, typically by running special software on home PCs or smartphones. Individually, these volunteer computers aren't particularly powerful, but if you string enough of them together, their collective power can easily eclipse that of any centralized supercomputer -- and often for a fraction of the cost.

Read more
Why AI will never rule the world
image depicting AI, with neurons branching out from humanoid head

Call it the Skynet hypothesis, Artificial General Intelligence, or the advent of the Singularity -- for years, AI experts and non-experts alike have fretted (and, for a small group, celebrated) the idea that artificial intelligence may one day become smarter than humans.

According to the theory, advances in AI -- specifically of the machine learning type that's able to take on new information and rewrite its code accordingly -- will eventually catch up with the wetware of the biological brain. In this interpretation of events, every AI advance from Jeopardy-winning IBM machines to the massive AI language model GPT-3 is taking humanity one step closer to an existential threat. We're literally building our soon-to-be-sentient successors.

Read more
The best hurricane trackers for Android and iOS in 2022
Truck caught in gale force winds.

Hurricane season strikes fear into the hearts of those who live in its direct path, as well as distanced loved ones who worry for their safety. If you've ever sat up all night in a state of panic for a family member caught home alone in the middle of a destructive storm, dependent only on intermittent live TV reports for updates, a hurricane tracker app is a must-have tool. There are plenty of hurricane trackers that can help you prepare for these perilous events, monitor their progress while underway, and assist in recovery. We've gathered the best apps for following storms, predicting storm paths, and delivering on-the-ground advice for shelter and emergency services. Most are free to download and are ad-supported. Premium versions remove ads and add additional features.

You may lose power during a storm, so consider purchasing a portable power source,  just in case. We have a few handy suggestions for some of the best portable generators and power stations available. 

Read more