Protect Against a Sunburn With This Device

Millions of Americans will hit the roads, rails or travel high in the sky to get to their favorite vacation spots this summer.

If partaking in any outdoor activities, especially at beaches or places with minimal shade—clouds or no clouds—it is strongly recommended to apply sunscreen to protect against the effects of the sun’s ultraviolet radiation.

One company, Sunscreenr, has created a small camera that can sense how much sunscreen a person has put on their skin.

“It literally shows you the areas of the UV spectrum that sunscreen blocks, so that when you look through it sunscreen appears dark and unprotected skin appears light,” explained Sunscreenr co-founder Dave Cohen.

He added: “There’s a custom lens that we’ve put together… and then there’s a custom filter that cuts out all of the light except the areas where the sunscreen absorbs. So you are only looking at where sunscreen is absorbing, which is why it looks dark on your skin.”

The camera can also help determine when the user should apply more sunscreen, in the event that it is water, sweat or a towel has removed it.

According to Cohen, the product is $109 and is selling now on Kickstarter for at a discounted $74.

“We designed it to be really rugged,” he said. “We’re aware this thing’s going to have to live in the bottom of your beach bag. It’s going to have to go into environments that are wet and sandy.”