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5 Things You Didn’t Know About Smart Glass

Day by day, the demand for Smart Glass is increasing rapidly across the full spectrum of the market with more and more people discovering this unique yet practical technology for the first time. Despite us being in the business for 15 years, developing our own range of patented Switchable Smart Glass, we understand that the concept of Switchable Glass is still very new to some people. In realising this, we think some of the most exciting aspects of our Switchable Technology are still unknown to the wider audience. In this post, we will look at some of the lesser-known benefits and features of our Smart Glass and why it delivers a far superior solution to traditional privacy options.

1. Switchable Glass can be fire-resistant

One of the biggest worries when integrating Switchable Technology into your home or business is how it will comply with your current fire safety precautions. Our Fire-Resistant Switchable Glass provides you with the same style and privacy capabilities as our standard product range but is manufactured specifically to minimise and contain any fires that may break out. To create our product, we collaborate with a market-leading fire-rated glass manufacturer who’s been in business for over 30 years, adding switchable capability to their fire safety glass.

 

Fire-Resistant Switchable Glass being manufactured by Pro Display worker

 

If used correctly in commercial applications, our Fire-Resistant Switchable Glass will help you meet fire safety regulations whilst maintaining a sleek and stylish workplace environment. This specialist glass solution is a perfect alternative for standard steel or wooden fire doors; our glass may even be a safer option, allowing you the gift of greater visibility if a fire does occur.

 

2. Smart Glass can be used as a HD/4K projection Screen

Commercial environments have favoured the use of Switchable Glass for meeting rooms for many years. Usually, the glass is integrated within solid stud walls in order to mount a screen or interactive whiteboard inside the room itself. It is little known that the Switchable surface itself can be used as a canvas for HD/4K projection. The projectable capacity of Smart Glass allows you to create long uninterrupted systems of switchable glass, giving a minimal, futuristic look without losing the display capabilities of a standard mounted TV or interactive whiteboard. Our Switchable Smart Film can also be used as a surface for projection and can be retrofitted onto any existing glass or plexiglass surface, as seen in our project with the Ruskin School of Art.

 

switchable glass in ruskin windows

 

If you feel like interactivity is a key feature for your meeting room but want the continuous look of Switchable Glass partitioning, we can offer an interactive upgrade, giving your Smart Glass touch capabilities from 6 to 32 points of contact. These interactive screens are available in standard sizes from 65″-134″ diagonal or as modular glass wall panels & partitions up to 1800 x 3000mm.

 

3. Switchable Technology can be sound insulating

The primary function of all the switchable products in our range is to provide privacy and what better way to compliment this than by giving your glass sound-insulating abilities. Our sound insulating Acoustic Switchable Smart Glass can be made to meet your requested dB ratings, staying compliant in Noise Reduction Rating standards, giving you ultimate privacy by keeping eyes out and sound in.

 

Acoustic Switchable Smart Glass technology working to keep office space sound down

 

Our Acoustic Switchable Glass works in a range of environments, whether it’s a factory to reduce sound pollution from heavy machinery or in the servicing sector, to protect the privacy of your customers and block out external distractions and disturbances. Our Smart Glass’s sound-insulating features also work well in residential environments, the perfect way to shut off the outside world by cancelling out nearby traffic or even the hustle and bustle of busy city life.

 

4. Switchable glass can be custom made in a range of shapes and sizes

One of the most exciting things about our Switchable range is its incredible versatility. We’ve already mentioned it’s projectable and interactive potential but as a part of the Pro Display Group, Intelligent Glass are able to offer the biggest and most unique range of smart glass products on the market. This allows for some extraordinary combinations of technology, making way for an entirely new range of products for both commercial and retail users.

One of our newest innovations is our Curved Switchable Smart Glass. Until recently our Self-Adhesive Switchable film was required to be retrofit onto existing glass, limiting the potential for many applications. However, our recent Research and Development advancement have made way for a full glass solution opening the use of Curved Switchable Glass in areas like hospitals, retail stores and even high traffic areas creating a robust solution ideal for a range of applications.

 

Retrofit Self Adhesive Switchable Smart Film in Health Clinic

 

Our Switchable Film offers an immense level of versatility as it can be retrofit onto any existing glass or acrylic surface. We’ve seen our technology used in some of the most innovative applications from creating a switchable handbag to smart glass stairs.

Over the years we have also worked on several projects requiring unique and unusual shapes of Switchable Glass, even working on large format projects requiring enormous Smart Glass panels all the way up to 1800 x 4000mm in size.

 

5. Smart Glass can be automated

Finally, our Switchable Glass and film products can be automated; the absolute must-have for any smart home. At least one in five homes in the UK is estimated to be using a smart speaker and an estimated 35% of US households are equipped with at least one with forecasts expecting this to increase to 75% by 2025. With the want to create a more automated and futuristic living space so apparent in today’s trends, why not integrate Smart Glass into your home to give that extra wow factor?

 

 

Not only can our range of Switchable Glass and Film be operated by voice command, but our technologies can also be connected to a timer. This allows you to automate residential privacy at certain times of the day or even use Smart Glass commercially as part of a brand-new product reveal, as seen in our project at Harrods for Rolls Royce. We’ve even seen our Switchable Glass used previously to create aquariums as part of an art installation, where each tank was controlled by individual timers that were set to switch automatically in a pattern created by the artist himself.

 

At Intelligent Glass we love to push boundaries and create out of the box solutions, the likes of which have never been seen before. As well as our drive to create new technologies, we are also dedicated to constantly improving the quality of our standard range of switchable products for both commercial and residential environments.


Interested?

If you’ve got a project in mind or would like further information on how we can integrate Switchable Smart Glass or Film into your space, please get in touch using the form below or call us on +44 (0)1226 351 759.