Zeiss Smart Glass puts undetectable cameras in glass windows

[GhostRoadieBL]

Summary

 Zeiss announced their 'Multi-functional Smart Glass' tech, which claims to float "holographic" and AR content on transparent surfaces.

Applications for this type of tech is extremely broad including vehicle heads up displays, control elements in smart homes, and (most troubling) transparent video cameras inside panes of glass.

The tech was first announced in 2019, then announced it's move to automotive applications at IAA Mobility 2023, and Zeiss is now pushing the wider mass adoption of the tech.

 

At the IAA Mobility event Zeiss displayed augmented reality HUDs for cars which seem to be becoming more common in newer vehicles displaying speed and navigation information.

 

Quotes

Quote

The technology is built around a thin polymer film that can "turn any glass surface (windows of buildings, transparent screens, side windows of vehicles) into an on-demand screen for communications." The company says that the film offers more than 92 percent transparency, features "ultra-high-precision optics," and combines projection, detection, illumination and filtering functionality.

 

One more interesting use of the glass is a tech called holocam which uses coupling, decoupling and light guiding elements within the polymer film to divert light to concealed sensors. (translation: the polymer can redirect some of the light hitting the glass towards a sensor) This can be used for everything from gathering environmental data, directing sunlight to solar panels for power gathering windows, displaying floating touch elements for buttons and access points,  to reproducing an image by using an image sensor. However the IAA 2023 image reproduction demo was limited to monochrome as seen below.

 

 

Zeiss has stated they are not looking to market finished products but act as a system provider to OEMs. (OPINION* likely to allow those OEMs to take on the legal and ethical choices of embedding invisible cameras into transparent objects and how they are going to be used)

 

My thoughts

HUDs - awesome! safer driving and essential info for the driver without taking their eyes off the road is usually a good idea.

invisible cameras embedded into glass objects like mirrors, windows and even picture frame glass or shop windows is Minority Report scary for surveillance tech. There's already issues with AirBNBs having hidden cameras, what's stopping this tech from being added to a mirror? or into your smartphone to surveil your screen at all times? I'm classifying this as a pandora's box tech which should probably be put back on a shelf and not given to OEMs.

 

 

Sources

https://newatlas.com/technology/zeiss-multifunctional-smart-glass-ces-2024/

https://www.zeiss.com/oem-solutions/products-solutions/multifunctional-smart-glass.html

https://www.zeiss.com/corporate/en/about-zeiss/present/newsroom/press-releases/2019/multifunctional-smart-glass.html

https://www.iaa-mobility.com/en/newsroom/news/future-technology/zeiss-hologram-technology

 

[da na]

This is genuinely terrifying. But maybe under-display panels in phones can suck a little less now? Or hey, a ton of DSLR cameras already use Zeiss glass lenses, why not put more cameras inside the lens? 

[Fasterthannothing]

Well that might be the most terrifying piece of technology invisible cameras goodbye privacy 

[HenrySalayne]

9 hours ago, GhostRoadieBL said:

or into your smartphone to surveil your screen at all times?

Oh, no, the humanity! How can we now not live in fear that our smartphone screens are monitored? Imagine if they would put a camera into a phone watching our faces all day long!

 

9 hours ago, GhostRoadieBL said:

I'm classifying this as a pandora's box tech which should probably be put back on a shelf and not given to OEMs.

I think you are exaggerating this completely. A plane of glass is certainly a new place for a camera, but they could be almost anywhere before that. It changes nothing.

Window? Put it on the border and nobody will notice. Mirror? Nothing easier than that. Displays? In-display cameras are already reality.

 

[jagdtigger]

10 hours ago, Fasterthannothing said:

Well that might be the most terrifying piece of technology invisible cameras goodbye privacy 

Good thing civilized countries have laws that force owners to clearly mark areas where they deployed cameras........

[GhostRoadieBL]

6 hours ago, HenrySalayne said:

Oh, no, the humanity! How can we now not live in fear that our smartphone screens are monitored? Imagine if they would put a camera into a phone watching our faces all day long!

 

I think you are exaggerating this completely. A plane of glass is certainly a new place for a camera, but they could be almost anywhere before that. It changes nothing.

Window? Put it on the border and nobody will notice. Mirror? Nothing easier than that. Displays? In-display cameras are already reality.

 

There's a minimal but noted nuance to knowing there's a camera on the front of your phone with a lens and not knowing there's a camera in a mirror.

 

I am under the assumption to not trust companies's motives and continue to be right about not trusting companies to be honest about what they are doing with data, images, video streams etc.

Perfect example is eufy. You know there's a camera but they claimed and continue to claim it's private and secure when it clearly isn't.

 

And I agree that this is possible now, making it more mainstream and even more obscured from detection isn't a good thing. Do you want stores taking video of you as you walk by to put your face in their ads? I don't, I don't believe they have any legitimate use for this tech outside of already toxic advertising profiling so it shouldn't exist.

[Forbidden Wafer]

Based on patents from LG and Samsung, these will be used to watch you on your living room via TV panels. And probably elsewhere too. I say to prohibit the use of such a thing. Or don't blame people from emiting EM pulse to fry all electronics in range periodically.

[jagdtigger]

15 hours ago, Forbidden Wafer said:

Based on patents from LG and Samsung, these will be used to watch you on your living room via TV panels.

And this is why ill never connect any tv to the internet. (Plus im sure there will be teardowns to tell ppl where they should put that piece of elecrrial tape.)

[Monkey Dust]

16 hours ago, Forbidden Wafer said:

Based on patents from LG and Samsung, these will be used to watch you on your living room via TV panels. And probably elsewhere too. I say to prohibit the use of such a thing. Or don't blame people from emiting EM pulse to fry all electronics in range periodically.

I think watching customers in their own house, would be a step too far, and cause a huge consumer backlash.

[Dracarris]

4 hours ago, jagdtigger said:

And this is why ill never connect any tv to the internet. (Plus im sure there will be teardowns to tell ppl where they should put that piece of elecrrial tape.)

Ah good ol terrestrial TV with 3 channels.

[Vode]

On 1/7/2024 at 2:38 PM, jagdtigger said:

Good thing civilized countries have laws that force owners to clearly mark areas where they deployed cameras........

Good thing murder is prohibited, otherwise there would be murderers running around!

[suicidalfranco]

5 hours ago, Monkey Dust said:

I think watching customers in their own house, would be a step too far, and cause a huge consumer backlash.

Not like they have microphone in every corner of their houses listening and recording everything they say