I saw IKEA launched some 'smart blinds' a couple of days ago, and this [0] review mentions timers

[0] https://www.trustedreviews.com/news/3865106-3865106

Not available in the US until October, unfortunately. I'll have to wait and see how loud they are.

I have Hunter Douglas Pirouette blinds in my room, controlled by Control4. They are very quiet when going from open to close or vice versa, but loud going up to down. Look at a video to understand the difference. Recommended, but not cheap.

Yeah, you know it's going to be expensive when you have to call and ask for a quote. It's funny that even the expensive options haven't figured out how to make a quiet electric motor. If you don't mind me asking, how much did yours end up costing per window?

Someone else mentioned the ikea shades coming out in October, so I might wait and see how those are. Potentially much cheaper, but no slatted blind effect, so the only option would be to fully raise/lower them (and deal with whatever noise that generates).

Just a thought about a potential mechanism, off the top of my head (which I'm sure has many issues).

Opening blinds is generally a morning thing, and ideally would want to be the quiet option if you could only have one option which was quiet (theoretically speaking). What if the electric motor drove the blinds down by pulling a counter weight. That way in the morning to open the blinds it would only need to release the weight, which wouldn't require any substantial movement and therefore limit noise...?

Yeah I'm bored at work.

A similar effect could be achieved by replacing gravity/counterweights with a simple spring or hydraulic cylinder. My standing desk operates similarly to assist in raising it.

We may be on to something here...

Yes, very much I would love this. I don't care if it opens slowly, just make it as quiet as possible.

I'd also like exterior blinds that can be lowered to reflect away or otherwise counter the effects of direct sun in summer.

smart glass is an alternative (also silent)

You would have to build your own with a small, insulated motor, and a high gear ratio.

You might be able to hire someone at a local makerspace to build something along those lines.