IIT Gandhinagar Students Develop Smart Visor to Block Sun Glare on Windshields
Students of IIT Gandhinagar have developed a device that blocks the brightest spot of sunlight on the windshields of cars so that the driver does not have to face the trouble of its glare. The device is called Sun Visor.
The students of the Indian Institute of Technology, Gandhinagar (IIT Gandhinagar) have been successful in developing a smart sun visor that is capable of providing comfort while driving on sunny days. The device can automatically track the point of brightest glare and then block it. The students of Chemical Engineering at IIT Gandhinagar have filed for a patent for an electronic device called Sun Protect as well.
The Smart Visor is attached to the car’s dashboard by suction cups and is powered by a USB charging port. It constitutes a small central housing that contains sensors, an electric motor, and a microcontroller. The device has an extendable arm that is made of transparent material and it moves the filter smoothly and quickly to follow the sun. When the device is not in use, the arm folds away easily.
One of the two students who have designed the Smart Visor, Soumitra Garai, said that the invention tracks the sun actively and positions a tiny disc of light-filtering material on the area of the windshield which is the brightest. It blocks sunlight before it reaches and strikes the eyes of the driver.
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Garai explained the filter further and said that it is semi-transparent, small, and discreet and can block sunlight without obscuring any other part of the windshield or the field of view of the driver. This process provides visibility that is far greater than other solutions such as sunglasses, which reduce all light, or standard car visors, that block a portion of the windshield completely.
Jay Shah said that the installation and calibration of the device are simple. Whenever a new driver uses Smart Visor, a one-time adjustment is made. The driver has to manually position the filter so that it blocks the sun and then the Smart Visor takes over and starts intercepting the sunlight, no matter in which direction the car turns.
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Jay also said that the device is expected to be more helpful to those who have coloured eyes and are extremely sensitive to sunlight.