How does this cool gadget work?

[witold]

There's cool little device on the market that caught my attention. It looks like a piece of transparent glass you put it in front of your license plate. At a flip of the switch, the glass goes opaque, thus obscuring the license plate. Have a look: Stealth Plate.

I have some ideas for other uses of this glass, but I can't find any information on it. Can someone give me the proper name for this glass, so that I can look for manufacturers that offer it? My searches for "electrochromatic film" turn up nothing...

Also share any experiences with this technology...

Thanks.

Witold

 

[f95toli]

My guess is that is uses the same technology as in smart windows (a.k.a. Electrochromic Window). Try this link:

http://www.angstrom.uu.se/solidstatephysics/research/smart_win/swin.html

It is based in conducing polymers, same as OLEDs.

 

[jackwhitter]

yup.. f95toli is right. you pass a current through the membrane and it changes so that 0 light is allowed to pass. take away the current and it goes back to normal.

 

[Antza]

Very interesting technology...could think of LOTS of applications!!

I don't know if you guys have them in your countries, but here we have those automatic traffic speed control cameras. There's a sensor under the road and a camera posted a little later. Flash! You're busted! A couple of days later you've got a speeding ticket coming with the mail. Sucks.

 

[witold]

In a lot of bigger cities in the States we have red light cameras and speeding cameras.

My thoughs on disguising your plate are here: http://www.halfbakery.com/idea/license_20plate_20disguiser (Last comment)

Sure, if you are going 150mph+ on a motorcycle, then you might as well run, if you can do so "safely". You will get jail time if you get caught anyway.

The only manufacturers I found for using this technology are talking about the "future" or sell really, really expensive panels. I'm really curious who the Stealth Plate guys are using as a supplier, since they got it down to a rasonable price point.

Witold
www.witold.org

 

[Ipno]

From what I heard though, those automatic tickets always fail when challenged in court.

 

[Evadman]

Originally posted by: Ipno
From what I heard though, those automatic tickets always fail when challenged in court.

Not in europe. Don't know about here, have not heard of a publicised case though.

 

[Liviathan]

Isn't illegal to have your license plate cover?

In the state of Florida the plate must be visible at all times. I had a bike rack hitch installed in the back of my car that covered the middle of the license plate enought that I got stopped a couple of times and was warned since the police officers couldn't completely see my license plate.

 

[DAPUNISHER]

Originally posted by: witold
There's cool little device on the market that caught my attention. It looks like a piece of transparent glass you put it in front of your license plate. At a flip of the switch, the glass goes opaque, thus obscuring the license plate. Have a look: Stealth Plate.

I have some ideas for other uses of this glass, but I can't find any information on it. Can someone give me the proper name for this glass, so that I can look for manufacturers that offer it? My searches for "electrochromatic film" turn up nothing...

Also share any experiences with this technology...

Thanks.

Witold

This place uses it for the bathroom
Link

 

[dkozloski]

I have seen license plates that look like they have decoupage of some kind on them that makes them only visible when they are seen straight on, similar to a security screen on a monitor. This is supposed to defeat the red light and speeding cameras.

 

[SuperSix]

SO it's basically and LCD panel? Same technology...

 

[f95toli]

No, it is not an LCD as far as I understand. The optical properties of the polymer changes when you apply a voltage over it, basically because the electrons rearrange themselves.

In an LCD the whole molecules (the liquid crystals) actually moves, when you apply a voltage over between the electrodes the whole molecule rotates so that it lines up with the direction of the field.

 

[gogeeta13]

boy, if I could get a layer of this film, I would have a ball with it...

It could be used to shade windows in a home, black out car windows...etc damn I am interested now.

 

[silverpig]

Sounds VERY similar to what they put in welder's masks now. The window is perfectly transparent under normal lighting conditions, but once the electric arc sparks up, the window goes black, shielding the welder's eyes.

 

[f95toli]

They mostly use liquid crystals for welders mask, but I guess there could be polymer based products as well.

 

[flot]

I've seen that bathroom ... it is bizarre. You flip the lock on the door and poof the wall goes opaque. It's crazy. Doubly crazy when you're drunk. hahaha.

 

[dakels]

This seems like some liquid crystal system that is electrosenstive but other things you may be talking about like photosensitive (reacts to light) glasses are silver iodide compounds. Like the old aviator glasses that turned darker with more light exposed. Silver iodide (like film developer) is light sensitive and with certain halogens used in glass. Gold is used too for tinting but I don't think it is reactive or as reactive. If you ever see those windows/skyscrapers that seem to glow gold in the sun, thats because the windows are tinted with a super thin film of gold.

p.s. most if not all states have a law against covering or disguising your license plate. In my area (NY/NJ) even a clear covering can be ticketed. Window tinting past 10% is not allowed in this state either. That law was placed to protect cops so they don't walk up to some car full of guys holding shotguns or whatever.