Australian researchers have developed a small device that could eliminate your fear of getting a sunburn
Researchers in Australia at the Royal Melbourne Institute have developed a small wearable electronic sensor that can tell the wearer when they are about to get a sunburn, according to a report from the Sydney Morning Herald.
The sensor, which is about the size of a nicotine patch, is flexible so that it can easily be worn on the skin, woven into clothing or into other accessories.
While the wearable sensor is technically an electronic device, it's built using rubber and has tiny layers of zinc oxide, which is what is used to sense UV rays.
The idea is, this sensor could be worn on the body or built into another wearable device and linked to a smartphone so that it could send an alert to the wearer when a certain UV radiation level is reached.
The bendable electronic can also be used to detect dangerous gases like nitrogen dioxide and hydrogen, according to the RMIT website.
While the technology is still in the nascent stages, it's impact could be significant if broadly adopted.
For example, if woven into fabrics, our clothing would be capable of warning us when to get out of the sun or when to reapply sunscreen. The technology could also be built into safety gear worn in different industries to detect gases that are harmful to workers' health or that could lead to dangerous situations, like an explosion.