Originally published Monday, August 22, 2005 at 12:00 AM
E-mail article
Print
Share"Switchable" glass allows quick trip to dark side
With the twist of a knob, the glass in an experimental VW Touareg sport-utility vehicle goes from clear to dark in one to two seconds. At VW's lab in...
With the twist of a knob, the glass in an experimental VW Touareg sport-utility vehicle goes from clear to dark in one to two seconds. At VW's lab in Palo Alto, it's known as switchable glass. Inside the lab, such glass is used to separate cubicles from a nearby driving simulator.
Rather than photo-sensitive glass — like the lenses found on some sunglasses that take more than a minute to darken in strong light — switchable glass does it almost instantly. It's accomplished using suspended particle devices with a film between two sheets of glass. When it's off, the window is dark. But when an electrical field is applied to the film, the particles align with the field and light shines through.
It offers better comfort and privacy, VW engineers said. Although the Touareg has it in all of its windows except for the front windshield, use in a sunroof might be its initial production application.
— Matt Nauman
UPDATE - 09:46 AM
Exxon Mobil wins ruling in Alaska oil spill case
UPDATE - 09:32 AM
Bank stocks push indexes higher; oil prices dip
UPDATE - 08:04 AM
Ford CEO Mulally gets $56.5M in stock award
UPDATE - 07:54 AM
Underwater mortgages rise as home prices fall
NEW - 09:43 AM
Warner Bros. to offer movie rentals on Facebook
More Business & Technology headlines...
911 audio: Caseworker reports Josh Powell has locked children inside his home
911 audio: Caseworker reports Josh Powell's house on fire with children inside
911 audio: Sister of Josh Powell reports disturbing emails
Chuck Cox reacts to Powell home fire, death of his grandsons
Sheriff's update: Josh Powell spread gasoline in home fire, sent goodbye emails
Don Bateman, inventor of Ground Proximity Warning System
Pierce County sheriff reacts to Powell home fire
Price of Protection: A victim speaks out
Price of Protection: Inside the Special Commitment Center
Entertainment | Top Video | World | Offbeat Video | Sci-Tech
Open Houses
|
Find all open houses.
|
nwautos
Turismo upgrade "Gran Turismo 5: XL Edition" for PlayStation 3 has features such as new car-tuning settings, new NASCAR vehicles, better replay video...
Post a comment
- Lakewood cop accused of embezzling $150K meant for slain officers' families
- 3 big health insurers stockpile $2.4 billion as rates keep rising
- Agency set to investigate handling of 911 call about Josh Powell
- Quick decisions: How Washington hired its new football staff
- Historic day for gay marriage as another fight looms
- Justin Wilcox's versatile defensive style is the right fit for Huskies | Jerry Brewer
- Social worker recounts minutes before Powell fire
- It's Terrence Time: Enigmatic Ross leads Huskies
- $25B settlement reached over foreclosure abuses
- Club promoter convicted in brutal 2010 murder of Des Moines prostitute
- Gay-marriage bill passes House, awaits Gregoire's signature
491 - Historic day for gay marriage as another fight looming 371
- Wanted in Seattle classrooms: more teachers of color 356
- 3 big health insurers stockpile $2.4 billion as rates keep rising 245
- Council members get briefing on arena proposal, minus details 244
- AP Source: Obama to change birth control rule 237
- Oregon live game thread 155
- Pac-12 picks ... including the UW game 140
- Worker: Josh Powell told son he had 'surprise' 108
- Rough road again 101
- Wanted in Seattle classrooms: more teachers of color
- State Medicaid program to stop paying for unneeded ER visits
- 3 big health insurers stockpile $2.4 billion as rates keep rising
- Economy, blogs give survivalists new reason to look to Northwest
- State's share of mortgage settlement: $648 million
- One man's audacious pursuit of sailing history
- Darren Berg gets 18-year sentence for Ponzi scheme
- Bellevue College adds a third bachelor's degree program
- $25B settlement reached over foreclosure abuses
- 'Gauguin and Polynesia': dazzling mix-and-match | Art review
