smart glass

Zeiss is heading to CES next week to show off its Multifunctional Smart Glass tech, which can float "holographic" and AR content on any glass surface for such things as HUDs, 3D buttons, and even a transparent videocam in the middle of a display.

Windows are pretty basic necessities for letting in light and heat, but you don’t always want both at once. Now engineers at North Carolina State University have developed a new material that allows windows to easily switch between three modes.

​There are already "smart glass" windows that can be tinted to block the sun's hot rays, thus reducing the need to run air-conditioning systems. Such systems still require electricity, however. Now, scientists have developed a coating that allows existing glass to become smart … no power required.

With blinds in front of our windows, we usually have to choose between light and privacy, but “smart glass" can toggle its opacity as needed. Now a University of Pittsburgh team has developed a new type of glass that can switch between hazy and clear in seconds – just add water.

Companies are experimenting with ways to balance glass' ability to let light in with the need for a little privacy. Now, Kinestral has unveiled a new system of smart-tinting glass called Halio, which can be adjusted manually or set up to switch automatically.

As the mechanical iris lens in a normal camera is far too large and bulky to incorporate in smartphones and other compact mobile devices, a team of researchers has developed a non-mechanical, "smart glass" iris that may bring much greater image quality to future smartphones.