It seems the Internet has come to the beach this season in Europe, with a new invention that pairs your Smart Phone with a Smart Bikini; yes, that once controversial and always topical two piece that barely covers, just got smart enough to warn the wearer when to apply more sun-screen !
The invention comes from France, the birthplace of the bikini 100 yrs ago, and is in the form of a made-to-measure, two-piece swimsuit with a small detachable ultraviolet sensor. When paired with a smartphone or tablet, a ‘sunscreen alert’ is sent when the wearer’s skin needs more protective sunblock cream.
The sensor is calibrated to the wearer’s skin type and can vary dependent on how much of a tan she wants to get.
The bikini’s inventor is Maria Spinali from France based Spinali Designs, who sells the bikini’s through her website. Maria says that the idea was inspired by the way flowerpots communicate when the flowers need watering.
‘There are flowerpots that give an alert when plants need watering, so I thought it was time to invent something to warn when the sun is too strong,’ she said.
‘So the idea came to me right away when I saw someone get sunburnt on a beach.’ she added.
Maria explains that its not a gimmick and does work because by the time people think to add more suncream, it’s too late and they’ve already been sunburned.
Dr Claudine Blanchet-Bardon of France’s National Association of Dermatologists, said the device was ‘interesting, because anything that warns people against UV exposure is good’.
However, she qualified that by saying that having the sensor attached to a bikini ‘doesn’t send the right message – the best protection against the sun is to not get too much exposure and to stay covered with clothes’.
Spinali said her team was working with French researchers in nanotechnology to come up with a smaller UV sensor that would be part of the bikini itself.
She also said they were at work on models for men and for children – with the sensors for the latter also featuring GPS locators, to quickly find kids on the beach. But with a price tag of 149 euro ($A216) it may be outside the reach of many.
For the lovers though, there is even a ‘Valentine’ function that sends the message to a boyfriend’s smartphone so he knows when to apply the cream to his girlfriend’s skin. Perhaps the cost can be split then.
For more information on Spinali designs, visit http://www.spinali-design.fr/
Be the first to comment