Introducing the LUXES Bracelet -A UV Monitoring Solution For Those Who Like the Sun

Most of us tend to like spending time out in the sunshine. Whether it’s trips to the beach, long walks, or even a bicycle ride every day, we are exposed to the sun almost every day. Unfortunately, many of us either don’t wear sunscreen or don’t realize when we have to reapply it. The LUXES bracelet is a new bit of wearable tech that aims to help with that, by measuring the UV rays against your skin. When it’s too much, you get an alert to apply sunscreen to protect your skin. So how does it work?

The LUXES Bracelet

The LUXES bracelet looks like a rubber wristband and comes in a number of colors with a variety of different trim colors including white, black, and purple. The bracelet, which is one size fits all, slides over the wrist, where it begins to monitor UV rays hitting your skin. The flat surface of the LUXES gradually darkens as it is exposed to more UV light, allowing the wearer to easily see just how much UV they’re getting. When the band gets too dark, the wearer simply applies more sunscreen to lessen the exposure. Because UV rays are known to cause everything from aging to melanoma, protecting yourself from UV is important.

How Does it Work

The Luxes features a newly designed skin-like material that reacts to UV rays in the same way as human skin. The designers created a silicone rubber base smart material that literally absorbs sun and then darkens as it absorbs UV. When the UV is taken away, the material lightens, so that the wearer can easily see the levels at any time. In order to use the bracelet, wearers can go outside to see how quickly it darkens. Wearers can also apply sunscreen directly to the smart material on the top to see when their own sunscreen wears off. However, it may be important to note that it may be too easy to apply an extra amount to the smaller surface. Because it’s designed to work in all weather conditions, the LUXES can go swimming (with waterproof sunscreen), biking, or wherever else you go. Plus, since it’s low form factor, you won’t get any odd looks for wearing something giant on your arm. It looks and feels like a fashion bracelet.

Getting It

The LUXES Bracelet is on sale via an IndieGoGo campaign until December 31st of 2013. Afterwards, it will be available for $39.99, or roughly twice the price if it’s initial sale price on IndieGoGo. However, most people won’t find that a notification bracelet is really worth the nearly $40. For example, all it really does is remind you to put on sunscreen, which you could basically do by setting an alarm on your phone for every hour or two hours. However, if you spend a great deal of time in the sunshine, have sensitive skin, or sunburn easily, then it may just be a lifesaver.

Would you buy it? While many of us often forget to apply sunscreen, new gadgets like the LUXES and the Sunfriend could definitely help.