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Robo-Blinds Add Privacy, Attract the Perplexed

by Warren Riddle on October 17, 2010 at 09:00 AM

Niklas Roy has devised an incredibly clever method of maintaining his privacy. Faced with a steady flow of foot traffic, Roy engineered a robotic "smart" curtain to block his first-floor apartment window from peering pedestrians. The Curtain Control system employs a surveillance camera, motion-tracking software and a motorized curtain. The computer identifies a target and then positions the curtain, which actually moves along with the nosy peepers even if they sneakily attempt to outflank the robo-blinds.

Roy admits the curtain "fails," though, because it reportedly "attracts the looks of people which usually would never care about my window." But those curious gazes make for excellent filmmaking. The video, dubbed 'My Little Piece of Privacy' (after the break), might be more impressive than Roy's electronic ingenuity, so watch as the camera manages to capture a magical dance of the perplexed as curious pedestrians morph into spontaneous and evasive performance artists.

Tags: curtains, diy, funny, motiontracking, NiklasRoy, RobotCurtain, robots, security, SurveillanceCamera, top

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