At temperatures above 32 degrees C (90 degrees F), a new "smart window" (left) blocked some of the light streaming into a box from a sun lamp. That kept the box cooler than the one at right, which had a more conventional window.
WANG ET EL., IND. & ENG. CHEM. RES. (2014)
6 comments:
First off, there's a typo in the first line after the title of this article. Filter should be filters. Seeing the pictures of the experiment made me think that the smart windows could be beneficial to reducing heat but it makes your windows cloudy which might not be practical. The window that didn't get cloudy blocks more heat than a regular window without getting cloudy, so maybe that would be a more practical window. I like what Robert Prud’homme had to say about the potential problem with heat transfer because I don't think I would have thought about that from reading the earlier part of the article.
I agree with Owen that if you can't see through your window, it's not really a window anymore. And I would never buy one of these things because if you use electric current to change the window's transparency, you save more money with your heater (and cooler), but instead you pay the same amount you would have payed for your air conditioning just to the company that makes these windows instead. In other words you are still paying the same amount of money, just to a different person. But, I like Guo's Idea because It can lower the heat by blocking the light out and you can choose when it gets cloudy, or how much. Plus, It doesn't require power. Although he did say that it could heat up and make the room hotter than before, not a good thing. Plus, as I said before, If your window is cloudy, it's not really a window anymore because you can't see through it. I bet you could get the same results just by having a house with no windows (crazy idea). Nevertheless the science behind it was cool, but the prototype was not practical.
Firstly, I want to note that while I do agree with the previous two commentators, it needs to be spoken that the goal of this product is not to create an aesthetically pleasing fenestration, but to save money and electricity by reducing the need for air conditioning. That said, let me voice my opinion of the article. I think that this new technology could have many practical applications, such as in apparel designed for torrid conditions. If we could apply this gel inside a Keffiyeh, for example, it could cool Middle Eastern countries, as to make living conditions far more comfortable. It could also be implemented in military uniforms when completing a mission in a sultry climate, as the gel could increase the combat ability of the soldiers wearing it. It would also double as a useful amenity for these troops, allowing them at least a small level of luxury while overseas. Another practical application that I could see for this gel is in between the plastic panes of sunglasses. This would essentially negate the majority of sunlight that the pupils normally intercept, and would effectively improve the overall quality of light deflection technology. The main problem with this usage is the perception of total darkness, but that can be fixed by only applying the gel the outside rims of the sunglasses. These areas attract the most light, and so this solution does not reduce the usefulness of the gel. Thank you for listening! I hope that you enjoyed, and feel free to refute my logic or add to it!
This is a very interesting topic. Like William Murray said, if it is cloudy, the window isn't really a window, and people do NOT want that, because they enjoy the views in their houses. Like Conor said, the goal is to save electricity and money, not have it look nice. Having said this, I agree with them, but I think that this does not really appeal in any way, because of the other ways to accomplish what they are doing, like when Will Murray said you could have a house with know windows which is free, where this costs something at least. And I noticed that Owen is right about the typo.
I think that this invention is actually not that useful. Closing and opening blinds is not hard and accomplishes the same task. Blinds are also much cheaper and look nice. Also, as Owen said, you can't see through the window, kind of defeating the entire purpose of the window.
I think it is really cool that Smart windows can save energy. The idea behind this is very interesting, but I agree with Owen and William. I agree that if you can't see through a window it is not a window and there is no point in having one. This is kind of not a good invention to have. You need a window first of all to block things from coming into your house, but also to see things from the outside. At least the Smart window helps the environment. It doesn't require electronics. It only needs the temperature from outside. This is an ok material, but if I could by a house and change windows, I would not buy the Smart window.
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