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Sunglasses That Block All the Screens Around You (wired.com)
Scott Blew, an entrepreneur and engineer, recalled an article he'd recently read in WIRED about a new kind of film that blocked the light emitted from screens. He wondered if the same technology might work on a pair of glasses, to block the screens that seemed to be everywhere. From a report: He contacted Steelcase, the company that made the Casper screen-blocking film, and ordered a sample. Then he popped out the lenses in a pair of cheap sunglasses and replaced them with the film. Amazingly, it worked: Blew could look through the lenses and see everything -- except for screens, which turned black. Now, Blew and a small team are turning that concept into a real product. Their IRL Glasses, which launched on Kickstarter this week, block the wavelengths of light that comes from LED and LCD screens. Put them on and the TV in the sports bar seems to switch off; billboards blinking ahead seem to go blank. Within three days of launch, the project had surpassed its funding goal of $25,000.
block the wavelengths of light that comes from LED and LCD
Has nothing to do with wavelength, but with polarization of the light. Anybody who has looked at screens with polarizing sunglasses is familiar with the effect.
Should be amusing the first time they get sued because of a car accident.
There are only so many way they can do this with a physical filter, and the article suggests that whatever Casper was doing, the replacement with simple polarising filters (which may be the same thing) functioned largely the same way. So, this is really not that exciting except as a cool application.
Polarising filters are pretty cool regardless.
For every problem, there is at least one solution that is simple, neat, and wrong.
Eyelids. I have a pair of them, and they came with the body; they are a standard feature.
Mark this down as 'Most Uneducated Self-Promoter of the Month" .
Commmercial display manufacturers (e.g. LCD for gasoliine pumps, POS systems, etc.) are very careful to align the output polarization so that it will pass thru polarizing sunglasses, which in turn are carefully aligned to block the glare/scatter from solar irradiance. Try rotating a pair of sunglasses 90 degrees and you'll see how much brighter the thruput is.
https://app.box.com/WitthoftResume Code: https://github.com/cellocgw
It blocks those awful billiards? Where can I buy a roll?
Smart glasses that filter out all social media and give you a shock when you think about going on Twitter or Facebook, but kicks your pleasure center when you actually interact with (shocking!!!) real people in real social settings.
Granted the peril may be different than originally anticipated, but still a worthy development.
So you view interaction with more people as being more important than interaction in real life with fewer people?
See, I just interacted with you. But I don't know you and you don't know me. Either of us could die tomorrow and we'd never notice it since we're just one of the dozens of people we reply to, every day.
#DeleteFacebook
Yeah, but... knowing what we know, we won't be buying the glasses and we'll be waiting for the contact lenses instead.
I guess I better go buy a pack of gum later this afternoon, just in case.
#DeleteFacebook
I already tried doing this, and the results were frightening. Aliens everywhere, and all the billboards said stuff like obey, consume, etc. I ended up chucking the sunglasses in the bin.
The right to ignore blaring crap is manifest. I thank their inventors and truly and sincerely hope they make millions for their creativity.
This invention is the bane of marketers everywhere, and I wish the inventors tremendous success. I will buy a pair as soon as they're on the market. Maybe two.
Seems like the kind of thing that would be a fad for a few months and then everyone laughs about how ridiculous and pointless it all was for years later. This has "as shown on TV" written all over it... the only problem is these glasses will block out that ad.
- Clap Off.
"That's the way to do it" - Punch
All those screens oriented vertically won't get blocked. Not common for TV/news streaming, but very common for information and ad display.
As others have pointed out, these are likely polarized filters (not sure what orientation they use, but I expect its 90 degrees off from TVs). LCDs are polarized as well.
I am wondering what sort of unintended consequences wearing these glasses will have. I've noticed that some vehicle rear windows black out slightly when I am wearing my polarized sunglasses.
you just need a pair of glasses of the same material, cut to be at a 45 degree angle. https://www.youtube.com/watch?...
Liberty - Security - Laziness - Pick any two.
Just like all those assholes with the wrap around polarized lenses they get from the eye doctor. /s
Quit telling me how to live my life, grandpa!
Seriously though, do get off on the next stop.
Looks like a car key; just don't let people see you point it at the TVs; they tend to get mad. But it's really useful in those places where obviously no on is watching the TV.
You can buy it pre-made or as a kit, or even make your own from some simple electronics.
https://www.tvbgone.com/
Brother, life's a bitch...and she's back in heat.
The kickstarter is asking $39 for a pair of these. I bought a pair of these 5 years ago for $2.99 by accident - I forgot my sunglasses and bought a cheap pair of polarized sunglasses from a Chinatown merchant - the polarization was in the wrong direction, so instead of blocking glare from roads and water, they made it worse... and they blacked out LCD's.
I threw them away after that day, and never realized what a goldmine I was sitting on.
https://www.tvbgone.com/
I came here expecting an early comment to reference Joo Janta 200 Super-Chromatic Peril Sensitive Sunglasses.
I left disappointed....
"Just as there is nothing so unreal as reality TV, there is nothing as unsocial as social media." - Alistair Dabbs
Why would a person want this?
So you view interaction with more people as being more important than interaction in real life with fewer people?
Nope. I view the idea that we'd all just chat with strangers on the subway/bus/whatever if we didn't have devices is false. Because I was around when we didn't have those devices yet.
I'd love to have something like this for dealing with oncoming cars with the super-bright headlights. I find myself putting on my sunglasses just so I'm not blinded by them. I figure it's better to see less light overall instead of nothing due to the glare. Something that could let me see everything else in normal light but would dim headlights in view would be superb.
-rant-
Why is that so many drivers not only drive with their lights but also with their fog lamps on? They are not going to make you see any better, but they sure do a better job of blinding oncoming drivers!
-/rant-
THE SOFTWARE, IT NO WORKY!!!
That is also true. In fact, people who talk to strangers on the subway/bus/whatever are usually weirdos.
#DeleteFacebook
There is nothing wrong with your eyes. Do not attempt to close them up. We are controlling what you see. If we wish to make it more annoying, we will put ads everywhere. If we wish to make it more subtle, we'll use product placement. We will control your spending habits. We will control your entertainment. We can reduce your bank account, make it smaller. We can change the focus of your interests to random things or sharpen it to precise products. For the next hour, browse quietly and we will control all that you see and hear. We repeat: there is nothing wrong with your eyes. You are about to participate in a great marketing adventure. You are about to experience the awe and mystery which reaches from the inner warehouses to – The Web.
#DeleteFacebook
This will be amazing for people on the autism spectrum like me and my son. When a screen is moving in my field of view, I have to look at it. It takes a lot of concentration to "tune it out," so I dread going to bars. It also affects my hearing. My brain processes audio poorly if it is processing visual information, like a TV screen, so I am constantly having to ask people to repeat themselves. My brain is more single-threaded than a neurotypical person's. For people with more severe needs than mine, this can really impact your ability to socialize with friends. These glasses can really help someone on the spectrum have less anxiety in environments with a lot of screens.
Not to mention that this could be dangerous in some places. When I began to read I thought it was referring to blocking reflections on screens under the sun but I don't see the point of this.
Creator's name is "Ivan Cash". Yes, he wants cash. For a pair of polarized sunglasses.
I'm just speechless.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0...
That is also true. In fact, people who talk to strangers on the subway/bus/whatever are usually weirdos.
In the United States that varies radically by geography. In Michigan, no one ever talks to strangers. In Illinois, everyone does. Most of the Midwest is willing to talk to strangers. The northeast, not so much.
block the wavelengths of light that comes from LED and LCD
No, it cannot block LED light and will not block LED screens. It might be able to block LCD screens by just being specially polarized lenses. But LED light is no different than most other light, and is of no particular frequency, unless it was polarized for some reason (like because it was used in an LCD screen).
The summary and/or article fell for the marketing crap. Until recently, all marketed "LED" screens are not LED, they are LCD screens with LED backlighting.
1) We never called LCD screens with florescent backlighting "florescent screens"
2) We never called LCD screens with electroluminescent backlighting "electroluminescent screens".
3) We never called LCD screens with incandescent backlighting "incandescent screens".
I already have Peril-Sensitive Sunglasses, could I get these new ones as clip-on lenses please?!
The maker's specifications do claim LED screens are blocked as well, but I suspect they mean ordinary LCD monitors with LED backlights:
Cloaking Technology Film renders wall-mounted and other large LED displays in conference rooms, huddle rooms, and other glass fronted rooms opaque when viewed from outside the room. Most large, wall-mounted displays can be cloaked, with the exception of 3D displays, Microsoft Surface Hubs, Barco video walls, OLED displays, plasma screens, direct-view LED video walls, and projection video.
Note that direct-view LEDs are not blocked. The same document also stresses the importance of film angle during installation, confirming that it's based on polarisation.
I had actually hoped it would be a more interesting notch filter blocking specific 640/570/480nm wavelengths, akin to the black projector screens you can get that reflect only those wavelengths (and absorb all the ambient light at other frequencies), but apparently not.
Why would anyone engrave "Elbereth"?
That was my first thought too, but the specifications and installation document from the maker of the film says that plasma screens and LED walls are not blocked, and that angle is important when installing the film, so it's almost certainly ordinary polarisation.
Why would anyone engrave "Elbereth"?
The third one. Three shall be the translation of the reading and the translation of the reading shall be three. Fourth shalt thou not read, neither shalt thou read the second excepting that thou then proceedeth to the third. The fifth translation is right out.
in my model 3
I'm with the team behind the glasses. It sounds like you might know a thing or two about optics. We're looking for engineers and researchers that can help us solve the hard problem of blocking OLEDs for our next product. A lot of people think it’s impossible but we’re willing to give it our best shot! Any chance you’re someone that can help?