Metaglass

Team Name

Senior Design Bois

Timeline

Fall 2021 – Spring 2022

Students

Long Nguyen
Nathen Paul
Zane Malacara
Thinh Nguyen

Abstract

We introduce Metaglass: a transparent interface. Metaglass is a conceptual smart window and frame that has 6 glass panels that can be digitally sensed. We demonstrate its interactive potential through a Simon Says game where touching the panels light side LEDs.

Background

All objects around us have the potential to be transformed into digital interactive experiences. In a world where IoT technology becomes more and more relevant, we wanted to explore how transparent objects could play a role. We focus our attention on exploring transparent glass as one of these objects. By utilizing glass as a substrate for indium tin oxide, we can use glass as a transparent user interface. Creating this demonstration allows us to showcase indium tin oxide as a material enabling unique transparent interactions. We hope our exploration and experimentation in this process enable transparent objects such as UIs to be explored in other domains.

Project Requirements

The system will be touch-friendly
The glass interface game will respond with LEDs flashing
The system should be mountable and standalone
The glass will not break and shatter from usage
The system will log and specify data from any interaction
Glass inputs will be broadcasted
The system will be clean
The interfaces can be made on various glass vessel sizes
The system’s power is delivered by the battery
The system’s wiring is not intrusive

System Overview

Our system has three layers: Input, Processing, and Output. The Input layer captures signals using capacitive touches, converts signals to data, and sends them to the Input controller. The Input controller communicates with the Processing layer by transmitting data to the Central Processing Unit (CPU). After receiving data, the CPU starts communicating with the software (games) by performing some data handling procedures. The CPU will convert data to signals after exchanging data with software before transmitting data to the Output layer. The Output controller in the Output layer receives signals from the CPU and sends them to LED to display the software.

Results

This project while componentally and logically simple was complex in terms of the fabrication and manufacturing front. ITO is a flexible material to work with, but deploying to real-world systems proved to introduce complexities in structure. Getting the wiring to connect from ITO to a seamless window appearance proved to be complex on the fabrication front. Building the frame itself was much more difficult than assembling the transparent interface. In conclusion, the system performs as expected but is difficult to integrate. This identifies an opportunity to explore in which transparent interfaces and their materials (ITOs) could be more easily integrated.

Future Work

Metaglass can be imagined to extend to an IoT use case by connecting our board logic and transparent interface to the internet. By connecting the hardware to the internet, it allows external inputs such as phones or the cloud to communicate to Metaglass. Transparent UIs can additionally be explored by applying ITO on nonplanar surfaces or etching designs on top of the glass.