French company Spinali Design has created the world’s cleverest cozzi that will tell you when it’s time to start slapping on the sunscreen.
The intelligent itty-bitty bikini comes with a small, removable and waterproof UV sensor that measures the ambient temperature around the wearer before running the results through a program that takes into account the bather’s skin type. Once the results have been calibrated the beach-goer will get a ping on their smart phone reminding them of when it is time to apply some SPF.
“The idea came to me right away, on a day when I saw someone get sunburnt on a beach,” said the swimwear’s designer Marie Spinali.
The new ‘smart bikinis’ from Spinali design with the UV sensor. PHOTO: Spinali Design.
Spinali, who started her company in the French village of Mulhouse, sells the swimwear through her website and insists they are “not a gimmick”.
“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,” Spinali told AFP.
The two-piece swimmers currently cost about 149 euros – roughly $216AUD.
Skin expert Dr Claudine Blanchet-Bardon of France’s National Association of Dermatologists told AFP while the designs were “interesting” they didn’t exactly send the right message.
“The best protection against the sun is to not get too much exposure and to stay covered with clothes,” warned Dr Blanchet-Bardon.
According to the Cancer Council of Australia over 434,000 people are treated for one or more non-melanoma skin cancers in Australia each year. Melanoma is the third most common cancer in both Australian women and men and the most common cancer in Aussies aged 15-44.
So while the swimwear invention might seem like a good idea experts still say the best thing you can do to avoid skin cancer is to limit dangerous levels of exposure and wear protective clothing while outside.
Spinali told AFP she has plans to continue developing more swimwear using nanotechnology that has a smaller UV sensor which will seamlessly fit to the bikini itself.
The designer also said she wanted to create a line of kid’s cozzies with GPS locators so children could be found easily by their parents on the beach.
