YouTuber Designs Device to Hide Plates From Flock Cameras
Studio Hotrods has built a smart-glass prototype that turns opaque when a vehicle passes a Flock camera, and it is pursuing a patent without selling the device.
Updated on Oct. 31, 2026 in Car Culture
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YouTuber Studio Hotrods designed a device that places smart glass over a license plate, turning it opaque when the vehicle passes a Flock camera. The company is pursuing a patent for the device and is not selling it at this time.
Why it matters
The device targets automated license plate reading systems used by law enforcement and private parties, raising questions about how such cameras are used and how drivers can legally shield plates. Every state restricts license plate covers, and eight states, including Illinois, ban them outright.
License plate covers are illegal in eight states, including Illinois, where the test car is registered. States that permit covers still require plates to remain legible, and several are cracking down on license plate flippers.
The players
Studio Hotrods
A YouTube automotive channel that built the smart-glass license plate device and is pursuing a patent for it.
The details
The device uses an Arduino paired with a GPS module and an SD card holding a database of Flock camera locations. When the vehicle nears a camera, the smart glass over the plate becomes opaque, and it stays clear during normal driving.
Timeline
Jalopnik published its article about the device on October 31, 2026.
Roadmap
Automated license plate readers like Flock's have expanded quickly across American streets, and drivers have responded with covers, flippers, and now electronic obfuscation. This prototype represents a step beyond older physical workarounds toward devices that react to specific camera locations.
Drivers considering any plate cover should know that most states prohibit them and that legibility requirements apply even where covers are allowed. Anyone tempted by flippers or obscuring materials faces growing enforcement attention.
The takeaway
Before modifying a license plate or its visibility, check your state's rules, since most restrict covers and some ban them entirely.
Further reading
Explore more in Car Culture for related coverage of vehicle modifications and driver habits.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Jalopnik.
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