Around The Home

Smart-tinting glass can shade on demand or automatically

Smart-tinting glass can shade on demand or automatically
Kinestral's Halio glass can tint on command or in response to programmed triggers
Kinestral's Halio glass can tint on command or in response to programmed triggers
View 8 Images
In interiors, Kinestral's Halio glass can let light in, but offer the option for privacy
1/8
In interiors, Kinestral's Halio glass can let light in, but offer the option for privacy
Big panes of Kinestral's Halio glass can take five minutes to switch from their most clear to darkest shade
2/8
Big panes of Kinestral's Halio glass can take five minutes to switch from their most clear to darkest shade
Kinestral hasn't announced launch details yet, but says Halio will be available in some markets in 2017, and available globally from the following year
3/8
Kinestral hasn't announced launch details yet, but says Halio will be available in some markets in 2017, and available globally from the following year
Kinestral's Halio glass is designed for home or office installation
4/8
Kinestral's Halio glass is designed for home or office installation
Kinestral's Halio glass can be programmed to change shades automatically in response to triggers like the weather, time of day or position of the sun
5/8
Kinestral's Halio glass can be programmed to change shades automatically in response to triggers like the weather, time of day or position of the sun
Kinestral's Halio glass can be controlled with a wall-mounted panel, through a mobile app or with voice commands
6/8
Kinestral's Halio glass can be controlled with a wall-mounted panel, through a mobile app or with voice commands
Individual panes of Kinestral's Halio glass can be set to different shades
7/8
Individual panes of Kinestral's Halio glass can be set to different shades
Kinestral's Halio glass can tint on command or in response to programmed triggers
8/8
Kinestral's Halio glass can tint on command or in response to programmed triggers
View gallery - 8 images

With glass an increasingly popular material for architecture, companies are experimenting with ways to balance its ability to let light in with the need for a little privacy. Glass that tints itself on demand has cropped up in sunglasses and cars, and is beginning to creep into buildings with electrochromic windows. Now, Kinestral has unveiled a new system of smart-tinting glass called Halio, which can be adjusted manually or set up to switch automatically.

Kinestral claims that in its clear state, Halio is indistinguishable from ordinary glass, but when the sun is glaring on the TV or you need to change clothes, it can be tinted to just the right shade of gray. The tint can be manually controlled through a wall-mounted panel, a mobile app, or voice commands, or set to automatically adjust itself in response to triggers like the weather, time of day, or the sun's position.

Rather than choosing between all or nothing, the system allows both groups and individual panes of Halio glass to be tuned to different shades. So, for example, a nosy neighbor to the north can be blocked from peering into your kitchen, while west-facing windows can be left clear to make the most of the setting sun.

Individual panes of Kinestral's Halio glass can be set to different shades
Individual panes of Kinestral's Halio glass can be set to different shades

Interior glass could also benefit, offering the opportunity to make offices and meeting rooms light and social, with the option for privacy at will.

While Kinestral hasn't revealed the technology behind the Halio glass, it's most likely electrochromic, given the stated time of about five minutes it'll take for a large window pane to turn from completely clear to the darkest shade on the glass spectrum.

Kinestral says that Halio glass will be launched in certain markets next year, although it hasn't specified which regions that includes, or what the price of such a system might be. A global roll-out is planned to follow in 2018.

Source: Kinestral

View gallery - 8 images
3 comments
3 comments
Bob Flint
So you have to wait 5 minutes for full transition to be private enough to change into something else that takes 30 seconds....Hmm blinds close in 3 seconds...
habakak
Expect to pay an arm and a leg for this added 'function'.
waro
That's why they call it smart glass; it will be smart enough to initiate tinting of the glass before you even know you want to change clothes.