Debuting at CES earlier this month was what’s been called “the smallest wearable device in the world”—a sensor that can be applied to a fingernail to measure exposure to UV. Called UV Sense, it was developed by Northwestern University researchers working in conjunction with the global beauty company L’Oréal. Christina Bonnington writing in Slate calls the device “smart” nail art that offers “…an ingenious way to give folks who might not otherwise want a wearable access to the valuable data it can provide.”
Bonnington quotes Guive Balooch, the global vice president of L’Oréal’s technology incubator, as saying, “We knew that nail art was booming. We thought that could be really interesting.” Bonnington notes that the device can also be positioned on a pair of sunglasses or on another accessory you typically wear outdoors, such as a watch. Balooch explains that on a nail, the sensor needs to be readhered after two weeks because the nail is a living part of the body.
“We think it provides the most convenient, most accurate way for people to measure sun exposure in a quantitative manner,” said Northwestern engineer John A. Rogers, as reported at Newswise. “The broader goal is to provide a technology platform that can save lives and reduce skin cancers by allowing individuals, on a personalized level, to modulate their exposure to the sun.”
UV Sense has no moving parts, no battery, is waterproof and can be attached to almost any part of the body or clothing, where it continuously measures UV exposure in a unique accumulation mode.
Users download an app on their smartphone, then swipe the phone over the device to see their exposure to the sun, either for that day or over time. The app can suggest other, less UV-intense times for outdoor activities or give peace of mind to individuals who are concerned about overexposure.
“UV Sense is transformative technology that permits people to receive real-time advice via mobile phone messages when they exceed their daily safe sun limit,” said June K. Robinson, M.D., research professor of dermatology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.
Bonnington reports, “UV Sense is launching as a limited pilot this year and will go on sale worldwide next year for a yet-to-be-determined, sub-$50 price tag.”
