Kids love to be outside, especially during summer, but with this summer energy comes the danger of getting sunburned. Now, a startup company has created a ‘smart t-shirt’ that changes color in the sleeve if they are in danger of getting sunburned.
According to the American Association for Cancer Research, “Five or more bad sunburns before the age of 20 increases the risk of getting skin cancer later in life by 80 percent.”
The core of the t-shirt contains an innovative technology that – without phones, apps, or the internet – warns children if they’ve been getting too much sun. The warning comes in the form of a bright color change in the t-shirt sleeve that is activated by UV rays from a sunburn action spectrum. These warnings come into play before the child gets burnt, giving kids and adults time to take preventative action.
Also incorporated into the t-shirt is a nano-technology that delays color change. This enables the company to make t-shirts that take into account the varying times it takes different skin types to burn.
The company hopes they can teach children that a red sleeve means it’s time to put on more sunscreen, take a break from the sun, or get an adult. Currently, the company has multiple different t-shirt designs including a flamingo, tiger, stripes, and solid colors.
