Liquid Windows: Squid Skin-Inspired Smart Glass for Buildings

A deep dive into a University of Toronto breakthrough that uses stacked, squid-skin–inspired fluid layers to dynamically manage light and heat in buildings. We explore how chromatophores and iridophores translate into three layers—an intensity layer, a scattering layer, and a near-infrared absorbing spectral layer—implemented with transparent plastics and microchannels. By pumping fluids, the system lets visible light through while blocking heat, with AI-driven real-time control to optimize lighting, cooling, and heating. The approach promises 25–50% energy savings and scalable, cost-efficient smart glass for future skylines.

Note:  This podcast was AI-generated, and sometimes AI can make mistakes.  Please double-check any critical information.

Sponsored by Embersilk LLC

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:00

I used to work in this corner office. And um around 3 PM every single day, the sun would just hit the glass perfectly.

SPEAKER_02 0:07

Oh, I know exactly what you mean. The greenhouse effect.

SPEAKER_01 0:09

Right. It turned the whole room into a blinding, sweltering greenhouse. You'd be sitting there sweating, pulling down those flimsy little shades, just kind of wishing the building itself could, you know, squint.

SPEAKER_02 0:20

Yeah, like squinting against the glare.

SPEAKER_01 0:22

Exactly. Well, for everyone listening, we are looking through our stack of research notes today for this deep dive. And there's this incredible new technology out of the University of Toronto. And it turns out buildings actually can squint now.

SPEAKER_02 0:37

It is such a brilliant concept.

SPEAKER_01 0:39

Right. We are looking at what they call liquid windows. But to build them, engineers didn't look at sunglasses or anything like that. They looked at squid skin, which is just wild to me.

SPEAKER_02 0:48

It is wild, yeah. The biomimicry here is just fascinating. So um if you look at a squid or a cuttlefish, their skin isn't just one flat layer of color. It is composed of these stacked, highly specialized organs. Aaron Powell Okay.

SPEAKER_00 1:03

Stacked organs, like layers of a cake.

SPEAKER_02 1:06

Sort of, yeah. You have chromatophores, right, which contain pigment and they can very rapidly expand or contract to change color. And then right beneath those, you have iriphores. Right, iridaphores. And those reflect very specific wavelengths of light.

SPEAKER_01 1:21

Aaron Powell Oh, wow. So it's basically like nature's original pixels, right? But stacked in 3D.

SPEAKER_02 1:26

That is a perfect way to describe it. But instead of using electricity to emit light like your TV screen does, this technology uses fluid dynamics.

SPEAKER_01 1:35

Aaron Powell Okay, so how did the researchers actually replicate that? I mean, they didn't just glue squid skin to a window, right?

SPEAKER_02 1:42

No, definitely not. They use these completely transparent off-the-shelf plastic sheets and they infuse them with millimeter scale microchannels.

SPEAKER_01 1:50

Oh, I see.

SPEAKER_02 1:51

Yeah. And by pumping these specialized non-toxic fluids in and out of those tiny channels, they can perfectly mimic the expansion and contraction of those squid cells.

SPEAKER_01 2:00

Aaron Powell So we have these stacked layers of fluid, but how does that actually help the building? Like what is it doing to the light?

SPEAKER_02 2:05

Well, it separates out the functions of light using three main layers. So first, um, there is an intensity layer to manage overall brightness.

SPEAKER_01 2:14

Got it. Like a dimmer switch.

SPEAKER_02 2:15

Exactly. Then there's a scattering layer to diffuse the light, which basically bounces this really comfortable illumination deeper into the room without any harsh glare.

SPEAKER_01 2:24

Aaron Powell Oh, that sounds amazing for office spaces.

SPEAKER_02 2:27

It really is. And finally, there is the spectral layer.

SPEAKER_01 2:30

Okay, wait, let me pause you there. The spectral layer. I get the color change and the dimming, but a squid isn't trying to lower its air conditioning bill, right? How does pumping liquid through plastic actually manage thermal heat in a building?

SPEAKER_02 2:44

Aaron Powell That is the magic of the spectral layer. It uses these specialized water-based pigments that physically absorb near infrared wavelengths.

SPEAKER_01 2:52

And those are the wavelengths that carry heat.

SPEAKER_02 2:54

Yes, exactly. But here is the brilliant part. They remain completely transparent to visible light.

SPEAKER_01 3:00

Wait, really? So it can let in the visible light you need to see while completely blocking the invisible heat rays.

SPEAKER_02 3:07

Exactly right. So all that thermal energy gets trapped in the fluid layer itself rather than passing through the glass and heating up the room you're sitting in.

SPEAKER_01 3:15

Oh, that is so cool. Yeah. Which means in the winter, I'm guessing you could flush those pigment out to let the infrared heat warm the room naturally.

SPEAKER_02 3:23

You got it. And then in the summer, you just pump them right back in to block the heat again.

SPEAKER_01 3:28

That is genius. And looking at the research here, performance modeling shows this kind of dynamic optimization could yield a massive 25 to 50% savings on a building's heating, cooling, and lighting energy.

SPEAKER_02 3:42

Aaron Powell Yeah, those are hugely significant numbers for sustainability. But um, keeping those savings optimized means you have to adjust three separate fluid layers minute by minute.

SPEAKER_01 3:51

Aaron Powell Right, because the sun moves across the sky, cloud cover changes, all of that.

SPEAKER_02 3:55

Exactly. It requires a really intelligent brain to process all that environmental data in real time and automate the pumps.

SPEAKER_01 4:01

Aaron Powell, which is actually a perfect transition because building that kind of automated intelligence is where a resource like Embersilk comes in.

SPEAKER_02 4:07

Oh, definitely.

SPEAKER_01 4:08

Yeah. So for anyone listening, if you need help with AI training, automation, or uncovering where AI agents can make the most impact for your business or even your personal projects, you really need to check out Embersilk.com for your AI needs.

SPEAKER_02 4:22

Aaron Powell Because whether you are, you know, managing these incredible squid windows or just trying to optimize your own workflow, you absolutely need smart integration.

SPEAKER_01 4:31

Aaron Powell Right, exactly. Okay. So, okay, back to the windows. With smart AI controlling all this, how soon is this bright future arriving?

SPEAKER_02 4:39

Aaron Powell Well, the software is crucial, obviously. But what makes this specific University of Toronto research so compelling is the hardware scalability.

SPEAKER_01 4:47

Aaron Powell Because we already have smart glass on the market, right? Like the kind that tints automatically.

SPEAKER_02 4:51

Trevor Burrus, Jr. We do, yes. Yeah. But it typically relies on these really exotic electrochemical coatings, which are, frankly, notoriously expensive to manufacture.

SPEAKER_01 5:00

Aaron Ross Powell Right. I'd imagine outfitting an entire skyscraper with traditional smart glass would be astronomically expensive.

SPEAKER_02 5:06

Aaron Powell Oh, completely cost prohibitive. But this new system relies on cheap, commercially available plastics and really simple micro pumps.

SPEAKER_01 5:13

Aaron Powell So they just replaced all that expensive solid-state chemistry with basic fluid dynamics.

SPEAKER_02 5:18

Trevor Burrus, Jr. Yeah, and everyday materials. It drastically lowers the barrier to scaling this technology up. It makes these hyper-efficient building envelopes accessible on a much wider scale.

SPEAKER_01 5:29

Aaron Powell That's just such a massive leap forward for human innovation. It makes me so optimistic about the future of our cities.

SPEAKER_02 5:35

Aaron Powell Me too. There is just so much we can build and solve just by observing the natural world a little more closely.

SPEAKER_01 5:41

Absolutely. And I want to leave you with a final thought to mull over today. Imagine a future where our skylines dynamically shift and adapt throughout the day, just pulsing like a living coral reef.

SPEAKER_02 5:54

What a beautiful image.

SPEAKER_01 5:55

Right. If our buildings can act like cephalopods, what other natural wonders could our cities learn to mimic?

SPEAKER_02 6:01

It really makes you wonder what's next.

SPEAKER_01 6:03

It really does. Well, if you enjoyed this podcast, please subscribe to the show. Hey, leave us a five star review if you can. It really does help get the word out. Thanks for tuning in.