Students

Wenyue Zou

Developing wearable UV sensors, RMIT University

Here in Australia, 2 out of every 3 of us will suffer from some form of skin cancer by the time we reach 70. We spend millions of dollars protecting ourselves from the sun with sunscreen, sunglasses and hats. It’s not the heat from the sun that burns our skin, it’s the UV radiation in the sunlight. That UV radiation is completely invisible to humans, however solar UV is our major source of vitamin D, which is essential for our health. Insufficient Vitamin D will increase your risk of getting diabetes and heart disease. So, too much sun - skin cancer. Not enough sun – vitamin D deficiency. Wenyue Zou has developed a UV sensor that can be worn as a bracelet that will tell you how much sun you need, how much UV radiation you have received and when is the perfect time for you to stay away from the sun. Because different skin types and colours need different amounts of sun, Wenyue can personalize the UV sensor wristband to suit your individual skin.