Wearables

QSun UV tracker analyzes skin tones for personalized sun safety advice

QSun UV tracker analyzes skin tones for personalized sun safety advice
The QSun UV tracker is powered by a coin cell battery that should be good for six weeks use
The QSun UV tracker is powered by a coin cell battery that should be good for six weeks use
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The QSun UV tracker is powered by a coin cell battery that should be good for six weeks use
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The QSun UV tracker is powered by a coin cell battery that should be good for six weeks use
The QSun UV tracker also comes with a companion app
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The QSun UV tracker also comes with a companion app
Managing our exposure to the sun can be a delicate balancing act
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Managing our exposure to the sun can be a delicate balancing act
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Managing our exposure to the sun can be a delicate balancing act. Too little and you deprive your body of all-important vitamin D, too much and you invite health risks that include skin damage at best and skin cancer at worst. QSun is a clever tracker that's designed to remove the guesswork by keeping tabs on sun exposure, even giving you a buzz when it's time to head for the shade.

We've seen a number of devices designed to track UV exposure over the years, largely taking the form of bracelets, but also treated papers and thumbnail-sized discs. QSun promises to take things further, however, by analyzing the user's skin type and their environmental situation to offer personalized sun safety advice.

This is handled through the companion smartphone app, which analyzes skin tones through the device's camera and image processing software. It then offers personalized sunscreen advice based on your size and the clothes you are wearing, suggesting how much to apply first up and alerting you when it is time to apply again.

The QSun UV tracker also comes with a companion app
The QSun UV tracker also comes with a companion app

The circular QSun device itself measures one inch in diameter and can be clipped onto your hat, clothes or anything else that is facing the sun. Shaking it twice turns it on and sees it immediately check the UV intensity, and another shake lets it know you've applied sunscreen. From there, the device vibrates and its LEDs light up when you're about to get sunburned and its time to head for the shade or reapply sunscreen. If you've got your phone with you, you'll also receive a notification.

The QSun tracker is powered by a coin cell battery that should be good for six weeks use, and syncs with smartphones over Bluetooth LE. It is currently the subject of a Kickstarter campaign, where early pledges of CA$64 (US$50) will have one shipped your way in July 2018 if all goes to plan. You can check out the pitch video below.

Source: QSun

QSun | A Smart Sun Protection Wearable

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1 comment
1 comment
marc49
What we really need is a sensor that tells us when we are not getting enough sun exposure! A 20 year Swedish study demonstrated that women who were always seeking the sun, had half the risk of all-cause death, compared to women who stayed indoors. A basic premises of this article is that sun exposure causes melanoma. That premise is not true. Blocking too much sunlight can be dangerous, and the best way to avoid sun damage is to cover up or find shade when you have had enough. Conventional sunscreen is filled with toxic chemicals that may cause cancer. Avobenzone and oxybenzone are two of the worst. Sunscreen can block up to 99% of vitamin D production in the skin. Isn’t it interesting that each year the use of sunscreen increases, and each year the risk of melanoma increases? It is not sun exposure that causes health problems; it is sun deprivation. The latest research shows that sunscreen is leading to widespread vitamin D deficiency. For more information, visit sunlightinstitute.org