Wearable UV Exposure Device Is Smallest Yet

Northwestern University in conjunction with L’Oreal have developed the smallest wafer thin, feather light wearable sensor that can fit on a fingernail and accurately measure a person’s exposure to UV light from the sun.

The wearable technology that is smaller than a single M&M and lighter than a raindrop is called UV Sense, it is powered by the sun and contains what is being called the world’s most precise and sophisticated UV dosimeter. The device was recently revealed in Las Vegas at the 2018 Consumer Electronics Show.

John A. Rogers says the goal of this technology was to provide a platform that may save lives and reduce skin cancers by allowing individuals to modulate their sun exposure on a personal level, adding that it provides the most accurate and convenient way to measure sun exposure in a quantitative manner.

UV Sense is waterproof, it has no battery, and no moving parts. It can be attached to just about any part of the body or onto pretty much any piece of clothing where it will then continuously measure an individual’s exposure to UV in a unique accumulation mode. It is transformative technology that allows individuals to receive real time advice via phone messages when they have exceeded their daily safe limits.

The developers hoping to make an impact by enhancing lives set out to create a device that would blend problem solving technology with a human centered design to reach the most consumers as possible who require additional information about UV exposure. The aesthetic design features are important as they help to break down barriers to adoption, the UV Sense can be produced in any colour with any pattern, logo or branding.

Sunlight can be a potent known carcinogen linked to many cancers. It is estimated that on average at least half of the population in the USA experiences a sunburn more than once a year, and there are more than one million melanoma survivors in the USA alone.