Last Updated on May 22, 2023 by Michael Brockbank
Our star is what gives the planet Earth life. Without it, the ball of dirt would be too cold and lifeless to support carbon-based life forms. Unfortunately, it can also cause severe damage. In reality, the Sun produces a great deal of radiation which is dangerous for us to consume. Soon, you may discover how much sunlight is too much with QSun. But what is it?
It’s a wearable device which uses artificial intelligence to let you know when it’s time to go back inside. By scanning your environment, it calculates the level of UV and delivers information based on its own exposure.
Personally, I love technology and products like this. However, every device has a measurement of failure. I just hope the QSun can gain popularity without severe fall backs.
What Does the QSun Do?
Comfable, the company which makes the QSun device, already has a sun safety app available for Android and iOS devices. The app will help track your exposure to the Sun to keep you from harm. However, it’s only as effective as the person using it.
Health and fitness apps do great things, but sometimes they are flawed. This is because you can only do so much by using generalized data based on average personal use. This isn’t to mention human failure of not entering in personal data and settings.
The QSun wearable tracker would change some of that. As the device would monitor you personally, it would deliver far better information in terms of UV exposure.
Tracks Exposure to the Sun
The QSun has a built-in UV sensor. Which means it pulls information from your surroundings to let you know when it’s time to put on sun screen or get out of the light. According to Comfable, the AI gathers information regarding your outdoor activities and environment to create a tailored tracking method specifically for you.
I can only assume the tracker is sensitive enough to differentiate between altitudes and sensitive enough to prevent drastic changes. For example, I burn super easy in Colorado at the higher altitude. However, I didn’t even turn red when I spent six months in Los Angeles.
Identifies your Vitamin D Levels
Our bodies create vitamin D as a response to sunlight, which is an important element to keeping us alive. Without it, you’re more likely to suffer from cardiovascular problems, asthma, a loss of brain function and even various cancers.
The wearable device helps calculate how much vitamin D you’ve produced and what you need for the day.
The only real drawback I see to this is the fact that everyone’s physiology is different. Because the device itself cannot “sense” what someone’s vitamin D levels are, it can only go by scientific averages and data entry. Which means it won’t deliver a 100% accurate reading on its own, but it’s still a good feature to avoid vitamin D deficiency.
Notifies You When a Sunburn is Imminent
The QSun device delivers an alert when you’re about to burn yourself in the sunlight. This is really nothing new as many sunscreen apps will deliver the same information. The difference, however, is the sensor within the wearable device.
If the sensor is capable of determining UV levels easily, and you properly record when you’ve applied sunscreen, it would have a better chance of telling you when a burn is imminent. Remember, most smartphone apps are only going by scientific averages and not taking extreme measures into account. A direct sensor is a bonus.
Other Benefits
The manufacturer claims the QSun device syncs with Apple Health and Google Fit. It’s a shame that it doesn’t support the apps I use, but I would still like to try it out nonetheless. After all, I have a habit of burning myself.
One thing I do appreciate about this unit is how it’s resistant to weather. Unlike my Fitbit that doesn’t like the water, I don’t have to worry about tucking this away if it starts to sprinkle while I’m walking.
It’s bad enough I have to hide my phone let alone every piece of technology I am wearing at the time.
The unit is supposed to have a 6-week battery life. Then, you replace it with a standard coin cell battery. You can pick these up in bulk from Costco for really cheap.
Personally, I would have designed the QSun with solar capability. If anything, it would expand the life of a battery. Or even set it up with USB charging, removing the need to replace coin batteries altogether.
Perhaps that will be in version 2?
Where Can You Get the QSun?
As of this article, the QSun is still in its infancy. It has a Kickstarter campaign available if you want to contribute or find out more information. You can buy one directly by contributing $49, which is half of its estimated retail value. If you do snag one, the estimated deliver date is June of 2018.
If the QSun wearable tracker does what it claims with a decent degree of accuracy, I’m sure you’ll see it in Walgreens and Walmart in no time. That is, unless the company’s marketing department is asleep at the wheel. After all, a unit that can accurately track UV rays has great potential in today’s world.
Primary Points of Using the QSun Tracker
Sunscreen apps are plentiful in the Apple Store and Google Play. While many of them are quite useful, they lack the integration of a proper sensor. For example, I can simulate night just by putting my phone in my pocket at high noon…and I’d rather not leave my phone out in direct sunlight all day.
Since this device utilizes technology specifically for tracking sunlight, it has a far greater chance of protecting you than an app which merely goes off of averages. This is because every situation is different.
It’s like doing cardio exercises. In any given routine, people will burn calories at varying rates. This is because of the differences in height, weight, sex and overall physical condition. The same scenario is true when gauging sunlight. The UV is far more intense in Denver than it is in Los Angeles…and this is speaking from personal experience.
What about cloud coverage? What about overall skin health? Many sunscreen apps cannot take these elements into account.
It’s all About Sun Safety
There’s no doubt that too much sunlight can have dire consequences on the human body. Even if you don’t invest in a QSun, it’s probably a good idea to consider another sun safe app. At any rate, it would be interesting to see where your own vitamin D levels rest.
I wonder if the app takes into consideration vitamin D consumed from foods as well as sunlight?
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