CES 2025: Gentex Improves Dimmable Glass Visors with Vanity Mirror

January 10, 2025

Sharon Silke

Gentex’s driver-monitoring system uses sensors throughout the cabin, including some mounted in the rearview mirror. (Steve Fecht)

If you are someone who has wrestled with a too-small sun visor in your vehicle, Gentex’s improved dimmable sunshades might be one of the most practical innovations to get excited about at this year’s CES in Las Vegas.

Gentex brought updated versions of its dimmable glass to CES 2025, as well as an improved DMS built into the rearview mirror. (Steve Fecht)

Gentex sells 50 million dimmable glass items annually, including the windows on the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. The prototype sun visors are transparent, behaving like high-tech sunglasses for your car. They allow drivers to continue viewing the entire road while avoiding glare, and with the flick of a button, can turn into a vanity mirror.

“The feedback we got when we showed this last year was, ‘well, what about the vanity mirror?’” said Steve Downing, Gentex president and CEO. “We’re showing cool stuff, and you want to talk about the vanity mirror? But, we take that stuff seriously, so we went back and created a polarized reflector as part of that stack.”

Gentex’s latest HomeLink system connects to a driver’s Wi-Fi-enabled devices as part of a smart home ecosystem. (Steve Fecht)

Gentex’s offerings at CES align with several key industry trends, including the push for greater automation, enhanced safety and seamless connectivity. While dimmable glass and integrated monitoring systems are designed to meet immediate regulatory and consumer needs, features like HomeLink tap into increased demand for interoperability between vehicles and other connected technologies.

The dimmable sun visors permit the car to present key driver information, such as alerts or navigation cues, directly in the driver’s line of sight. Combined, these innovations highlight a growing trend toward integrating adaptive materials into vehicle interiors to improve functionality and safety.

The company also showed off a film-based electrochromic sunroof that allows drivers to control sunlight and glare from large panoramic roofs. Unlike other dimmable windows, the sunroof doesn’t need electricity to stay dark, so it can block the sun even when the car is off. And unlike the windows on the Boeing 787, which use a gel squeezed between two panels of glass, the sunroof employs a dimmable film that can darken completely. The idea is to help occupants of cars equipped with expansive sunroofs to stay cool while reducing energy use for air conditioning.

Driver monitoring and HomeLink

With regulatory bodies, including the European Union, mandating driver-monitoring systems (DMS) in new vehicles, Gentex showcased its mirror-integrated solution. Designed to track head position, eye movement and other metrics, the system can detect signs of fatigue, distraction or health emergencies.

Gentex president and CEO Steve Downing speaks at CES 2025. (Steve Fecht)

Gentex’s DMS integrates monitoring capabilities throughout the cabin. Using the same mirror-mounted sensors, the system can detect passengers, identify objects and even measure an occupant’s vital signs. Integration into the rearview mirror offers automakers a space-saving option that aligns with evolving safety standards, particularly those tied to NCAP ratings.

Gentex also highlighted the next generation of its HomeLink system, celebrating 30 years of car-to-home automation. The updated system integrates with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, allowing drivers to control smart home devices directly from their vehicle interfaces. OEMs can take Gentex’s HomeLink tech and brand it as their own.

Compatible with leading brands like Amazon and Samsung SmartThings, the new HomeLink enables users to manage garage doors, lighting systems and other connected devices. With support for Wi-Fi-enabled devices, the system reflects a broader trend of vehicles becoming extensions of the smart home ecosystem.