Wearable UV Detector Might Be The First Life-Saving Smartband

The Wearable Gadget Has One Function: It Will Save Your Life.

A wristband which monitors the amount of UV rays you are exposed to has been unveiled in London.

As part of the Wearable Technology Conference, American start-up SunFriend introduced the UVA+B Activity Monitor ahead of its full release in April.

The wristband contains a light sensor that registers the amount of direct sunlight you receive, and combines it with a sensitivity level to create a set time you should spend in the sun.

"The reason we brought this product to market was because skin damage, which leads to skin cancer, is epidemic in a lot of places around the world," said SunFriend chief executive Karin Edgett.

"We feel like there isn't a good tool for people to measure themselves in terms of how much sun is safe; it's all a guessing game."

"If you use sunscreen there's no correlation, according to the FDA, between SPF and how much time you should spend in the sun. So you're guessing even if you use sunscreen, and you also can't get vitamin D."

The wristband starts to flash once you have reached your daily amount of UV exposure, and is the first product of it's kind to a launch.

According to Cancer Research UK, skin cancer is the fifth most common cause of the disease in the UK, with 1 in 10 affected in 2010.

SunFriend also announced that future models of the activity monitor will contain Bluetooth so that it can link with your smartphone to monitor your UV exposure digitally.

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