A peak into future through smart windows that will make homes smarter

This past year saw countless smart home technologies, with everything from smart home monitoring to leak-detection technologies making headlines. So it’s not too greedy to think that the same customisable and remotely controlled elements might soon be available for the glass panes in our home windows. In fact, some such technologies already exist. 

Smart windows: 

‘Super windows’ that offer maximum energy efficiency are already on the market; now ‘smart windows’ are on the horizon. The technologies allow the glass in your home’s windows to adapt to changing conditions either automatically or with the flick of a switch. There are typically four types of glass used in these windows, and each is pretty amazing in its own way. New glass technology is being invented and improved upon every day, as well. 

Tech potential: 

Beyond windows, the technology potential for glass windows that can also connect with devices, operate via touchscreen or respond to external factors such as temperature or time of day has huge implications for the ways we’ll live our daily lives in the years to come. A team of researchers at Michigan State University has already developed a solar concentrator that, when placed over a window, creates solar energy while still allowing people to see through the window. 

This technology, called a transparent luminescent solar concentrator, could see windows in a home or commercial building collecting energy to power the structure itself in a self-sustaining fashion, and possibly even harness energy for surrounding homes, offices or entire neighbourhoods. Even though such technology is yet to be fully integrated into our home windows, there are already products that allow users to project touch screens onto flat external surfaces - such as a large window. It is not hard to imagine a future in which such technologies are the new normal, making the already smart home even smarter.