A Window That Closes Automatically When Train Approaches

I know it sounds kinda strange, but I’ve always thought innovative windows and curtains were interesting. When you add a techno-geek flavor to them, it makes it all even better. When I stayed in a suite at the Ritz Carlton in Shanghai, the floor to ceiling drapes opened and closed with a switch on the wall, or by remote control. They were so much fun that I even took a little video of them in action, which I’ve included below for you.

Today I’d like to share with you a window mod that is so cool you’ll want to run out and buy all the components to do it yourself, well, if you live near a train that is. Ed Rogers, whose geek cred is off the chart, lives right next to some train tracks. He likes to leave his window open while he sleeps, but when the train goes by, the loud noise always wakes him up. Being the innovative genius that he is, he found a solution to his unique problem.

He pieced together some homegrown custom electronics, some Adrunio boards, some software, a 3D printer, a webcam and a few other goodies onto his window to create a self-closing window. His window automatically closes when the train comes, or he can also close it himself, from bed, with the remote control. He says with the window closed, he can barely hear the train. When you watch the video, you’ll see that the window closes really slowly, but that’s not the point, right? The point is, this guy gets the super geek award for the week. Live long and prosper.