kid blocks photo radar with switchable electric window glazing on his license plate

with a touch of a button, an engineering student at unc charlotte, could turn his license plate to gray.

working late at night, he was fed up with a stoplight that took too long to change. the kid ordered the glass, the shape of his plates, and rigged a switch to his dash so he could darken his plates before going through the red light. after weeks of the camera taking numerous pictures of a car without license plates, the cops waited for him and he was captured.

fun tech talk explains how the glass works:

The glass he used to cover his plates was a liquid crystal suspended particle device (SPD). It contains molecular particles suspended in a solution between plates of glass. When not activated, the particles move randomly and collide, blocking the direct passage of light. When energized, the particles align rapidly and the glazing becomes transparent. This type of switchable glazing can block up to about 90 percent of light.

awesome.