Kickstarter Tech Project of the Week: SONTE

Project Name: SONTE: iPhone/iPad Android DIY WiFi Digital Shade
Category: Design
Goal: $200,000
Currently Funded: $100,800
Deadline for pledging: July 3, 2013

Now you see it, now you don't. That's the premise behind SONTE's Wi-Fi-enabled smart window shade that changes opacity, unveiled at CES in January. Innovations in smart thermostats, appliances, and surveillance systems have all been welcomed into the connected home, and SONTE wants to be the next permanent resident.

SONTE is designed to be a do-it-yourself, completely customizable digital shade. After cutting the film to your desired shape and size, you adhere it to glass and stick on a quarter-sized "conducting clip," which is then wired to a Wi-Fi-enabled transformer. Using a simple app available for Android or iOS, you can flip the shade "on" or "off," sending an electric current through it that turns it from see-through to solid. SONTE works on existing windows and provides UV protection to save on energy costs.

Don't worry about unsightly cables though, the company claims "the cord is comparable to a slim audio cord and can be easily hidden along or behind walls." The shade is equally simple to uninstall and SONTE says it will leave your surfaces residue-free.

The company suggests applying its shades to glass dividers in your house so you can simultaneously relish in both the open design of your space and the separation of a wall with the tap of an app. You can also apply it to windows in your kitchen, bathroom, or bedroom to alter the level of lighting or privacy. Or imagine a glass office where the walls turn opaque when a meeting is in session.

The company is gearing up for full-scale production but needs your help to make it happen. For $184 or more, you receive a 1-by-1 meter film and installation kit (non-Wi-Fi transformer) by September. For $219, you'll get the Wi-Fi-enabled version. Fork over more money and you receive more film.

Interested in backing other neat tech projects? Check out The Buccaneer, an affordable 3D printer.