These Smart Bikinis Detect UV Rays To Stop You Turning Lobster-Red

FYI.

This story is over 5 years old.

Tech

These Smart Bikinis Detect UV Rays To Stop You Turning Lobster-Red

A swimwear that saves you from sunburn.

Next time you're on the beach, you might not have to worry about forgetting to slather on sun cream. Enter Spinali Design, the folks behind Europe's first "smart bikini" that reminds you when it's time to reapply your UV block.

"I had this idea when I saw someone at the beach getting sunburnt," Marie Spinali, the director of Spinali Design, a French-based startup, told me over the phone. To combat the boiled lobster-red look resulting from overexposure to the sun, Spinali mashed together sensors and bikinis to come up with a "bikini connecté" (a connected bikini).This basically sends wearers' smartphones an alert telling them when to re-apply their sun block.

Each bikini has a small black waterproof sensor that measures ultraviolet rays. Spinali said that when someone purchases a bikini, the company makes a profile around them based on their skin type. So basically, if you're a skin type that's prone to sunburns, you'll receive an alert earlier than someone who is less prone to sunburns.

The bikinis, which you can order from Spinali's website, are a bit on the pricey side at 149 euros ($168). Spinali said, however, that the bikini was meant to give sunbathers some piece of mind. After all, sunburn can often strike you unawares by which time it's all too late.

There doesn't seem to be a range for men's trunks or speedos out just yet. But Spinali told me that the design company is currently working on a range for kids.