The Lighthouse: UV-detecting 'Sunwatch' a step closer to saving lives
A tiny nanosensor, the size of a fingernail, is the key to a new wearable device that detects harmful ultraviolet rays that can cause skin cancer. Developed by Dr Noushin Nasiri, Head of the Nanotechnology Laboratory at Macquarie’s School of Engineering, the device could help prevent thousands of deaths.
“Once I’d developed the sensor, I was very keen to bring it out of the laboratory and into the world as quickly as possible but I needed a smart device to put it into,“ says Nasiri, whose research focuses on using nanotechnology to create wearable devices for preventative health.
Working with a Masters student, Danial Bavi, an electronics expert, the pair have taken her innovation a step forward. They’ve created a watch-like prototype that houses the sensor and alerts the wearer to UV levels.