While natural light is one of the most desired features in a home, floor-to-ceiling windows and glass walls can often come with unwanted side effects in multifamily units, such as increased heat, blinding light, or lack of privacy.
A new product from San Francisco-based Kinestral Technologies, Inc., is keeping renters comfortable by transforming the natural light of a room all on its own. Halio is a smart tinted glass that instantly responds to changes in sunlight throughout the day, automatically tinting to shades of neutral gray to block unwanted heat and light from entering a unit and increase privacy.
The glass appears ordinary at first glance, but can be programmed to respond to the weather, time, or the sun’s position during the day. It can also be manually controlled with a user voice command, through wall mounted controls, or through a smartphone app interface. The glass tints on its own, but tenants have the option to stop mid-program once their desired light level is achieved. The system only takes less than five minutes to reach its darkest shade, according to the company. The window panes can be set to tint individually or in groups.
The product was announced earlier this week and will be available in select markets beginning in 2017 and globally the following year.
