Noise cancelling windows?

Urban living has its perks, but rarely (if ever) is noise mentioned among them.

Until now, heavy curtains or pricey soundproof windows have been the best way to keep the blaring-ringing-talking sounds of the city streets out of urban homes, but Austrian industrial designer Rudolf Stefanich has another option in mind.

Stefanich's 'Sono' device sticks onto your window, turning it into a filter for disruptive noises like car horns and construction work. You can even let pleasant sounds like birds chirping in instead, with the turn of a knob.

Genius? We know, and so do the folks over at the UK's James Dyson Awards, who've listed Sono among the contenders for this year's award in industrial design.