Fingernail UV sensor is ‘world’s smallest’ wearable
Claimed as the world’s smallest wearable tech, the sensor – called UV Sense – can fit on a fingernail and measure a person’s exposure to UV light from the sun. Developed in collaboration with beauty company L’Oréal, the solar-powered device is said to contain the world’s most sophisticated and accurate UV dosimeter.
The device, say the researchers, is the thickness of a credit card and half the weight of a Tic-Tac. The goal behind its creation, they say, is to increase awareness of UV exposure, and to decrease skin cancers and sunburn.
“Sunlight is the most potent known carcinogen,” says Northwestern engineer John A. Rogers. We think [UV Sense] provides the most convenient, most accurate way for people to measure sun exposure in a quantitative manner. 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.”
The device is waterproof and, while meant to be attached to a thumbnail, which provides a rigid surface and an optimal location to measure sun exposure, it can be attached to almost any part of the body or clothing. Once attached, it continuously and wirelessly measures cumulative UV exposure.
“It is orders of magnitude smaller than anything else out there,” says Rogers. “It also is one of the few sensors that directly measures the most harmful UV rays. Further, it simultaneously records body temperature, which is also very important in the context of sun exposure.”
The sensor works with an iOS or Android app that users can download to their phone or mobile device. With the app, users can see their exposure to the sun, either for that day or over time, and the app can suggest other, less UV-intense times for outdoor activities.
“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,” says June K. Robinson, M.D., research professor of dermatology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.
The aesthetic design features of UV Sense were also considered in its development, say the researchers, as they can help break down barriers to adoption. The device can be produced in any color with any pattern, logo, or branding.
The UV Sense is expected to be available to consumers this summer in the U.S., and globally sometime in 2019. Meanwhile, a UV Patch will also be available through L’Oréal’s Laroche brand website.
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