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Prototype armband measures amount of UV - Oct 2010

Vitamin D bracelet to get kids off couch, 28/10/2010

Scotland’s couch potato kids have a new reason to ditch computer games for the outdoors – thanks to a pioneering new sun-monitoring wristband.

The device, called SunPoints, is designed to ensure young people (aged 8 – 14) get their daily healthy dose of UV light, which prompts production of vitamin D.

Although we can absorb Vitamin D through food, the vast majority (90%) of our Vitamin D needs come directly from sunlight.

A lack of the vitamin has been directly linked to an increased chance of developing conditions like multiple sclerosis, cancer, rickets and heart failure.

The wristband has been invented by Edinburgh Napier graduate, Andrew O’Dowd as part of his postgraduate course in Interaction Design.

The easy to wear SunPoints wristband monitors the amount of UV light a person is exposed to when outdoors and gives them a signal to go indoors once they’ve had enough sunlight.

Andrew, who graduated with his Masters last week, said: “I designed the Sunpoints device to help educate young people about healthy living.

“When I was doing research and developing the SunPoints product, I found a recent survey where 50% of people surveyed said their child spent less than two hours per day away from technologies such as computers and games consoles. I found this quite shocking but took inspiration from this research for my design.

“The Sunpoints wristband is aimed at teaching young people about the importance of vitamin D, while also encouraging them to get outdoors and into the fresh air.

"We all know that sunshine is good for us in moderation – it makes us feel good - but consideration should always be taken to ensuring that we’re appropriately protected. That’s why the wristband has a sensor that changes colour when the wearer has had enough UV light”.

Feedback from a design competition Andrew ran a in a local children’s hospital influenced the brightly coloured wristband’s final design.

A prototype of the wristband has been made and tested and it is in the early stages of being taken to market. Andrew sees opportunities to promote the wrist band through links with computer consoles, allowing young people to unlock new games once they’ve had their daily dose of sunshine.

Chris Hand, programme leader for MDes Interaction Design at Edinburgh Napier, and Andrew's supervisor for the SunPoints project said: "We encourage our students to combine the creative and the technical, while also thinking about how their designs might have a practical application in the real world.

"Andrew's SunPoints wristband addresses a very topical issue, and illustrates how design can take on an important social challenge like changing the behaviour of young people. It will be interesting to see how the product is developed and brought to market."

Vitamin D is necessary to allow for the absorption of nutrients and minerals into the body and is only produced in the skin when it has direct exposure to sunlight.

It is thought that the optimum amount of UV light is absorbed through the skin after 20 minutes exposure to direct sunlight for fair skin people on a sunny day. The new wristband can be set to different time limits, depending on the specific needs of the wearer.

The invention comes on the back of the Scottish Government’s Shine on Scotland campaign that highlights how the lack of vitamin D can increase Scottish people’s risk of getting life-threatening diseases.
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"The sensors monitor how long you've been outside and this is calculated into points. When inside, you plug it into a games console and find out if you've had a good or bad level of UV. You're meant to get at least 20 minutes of direct sunlight every day to generate a good level of vitamin D.

"The UV sensors already existed, but it gives off a signal to go indoors once you've had enough sunlight"

Mr O'Dowd, who studied a masters in Interaction Design, is now hopeful that a company might develop his product. He said: "This was a project for my degree, which I've been working on since February. It would be good to make it into necklaces and other useful things, too.

"I think the points system could also be developed into a game where perhaps kids can unlock games or characters, or they could compare their levels via a Facebook app."

The new wristband can be set to different time limits, depending on the needs of the wearer.

Chris Hand, programme leader for Interaction Design at Edinburgh Napier, said: "Andrew's wristband addresses a very topical issue, and illustrates how design can take on an important social challenge like changing the behaviour of young people."
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Note: There are already $30 UV meters which monitor your total UV exposure for the day

and UV dosimeters are being developed – similar to nuclear radiation dosimeters – June 2010



Prototype armband measures amount of UV - Oct 2010        
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