Tag Archives: uv

Bacterial melanin clothes may protect us from UV rays in the future

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I live in a country where it’s always hot most of the year (except when it’s raining). It’s a 15-minute walk under the scorching sun from my house to my workplace and it’s something I’ve gotten used to already (albeit with a lot of complaining). I am aware of all the UV rays that I’m absorbing every day although there’s no clear manifestation of it unless I check my weather app. But it’s a very real problem that our constant exposure to UV rays will eventually bring harm to our skin.

Designer: Maca Barrera

A speculative biofabrication project by Central Saint Martins graduate Maca Barrera called Melwear project tries to imagine clothes that are made from skin pigment melanin. They can actually become a form of sun and UV protection for us and even let us know what level of UV exposure we’re getting. This project actually uses two different technologies: the creation of melanin-produce bacteria and extracting the pigment from it and the bioprinting of artificial tissues with living cells.

The idea is to use bacterial melanin as sunscreen to shield our bodies from UV radiation since it has UV absorbance and antioxidant properties. The speculative membrane with encapsulated melanin will supposedly become darker the more the wearer is exposed to UV rays. Basically it’s supposed to become a second skin that will protect the user and also react with the environment so they become more aware that we need protection from the sun and to prevent skin cancer as well.

This is still very much a speculative project so there’s no functional prototype yet other than the production of the bacterial melanin and the testing of the bioprinting technology. It’s an interesting idea that can hopefully be explored more, although thinking about wearing something that’s made from melanin doesn’t necessarily bring visions of fashionable outfits.

The post Bacterial melanin clothes may protect us from UV rays in the future first appeared on Yanko Design.

This UV-enabled smart water bottle disinfects bottleneck and the water inside to keep infections at bay

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You might not realize but the all-purpose water bottle could get you infected due to exposure to physical touches. This tech-savvy water bottle seeks to solve this problem with its smart disinfecting bottle cap which keeps any pathogens away for good.

Water bottles have become a staple for most of us whether it be going to the office or a hiking trip on a weekend. Carrying the reserve of water is important and the ability to refill the temperature neutral bottle is more of a normal thing. The latter part can however be dangerous when we consider infections in the current uncertain times. Wearing masks does prevent the chances of infection from spreading, but how about sharing a water bottle with your buddy or refilling it in public places where the chances of getting infected are much higher?

Designer: Sidhesh Wilson

The Halo water bottle is designed keeping this in mind – hence the unique features that disinfect the bottle from the inside. This is done with the tech-infused cap which sanitizes the neck of the bottle and the water within. It’s important to make sure the neck of the water bottle is properly ridden of any pathogen infections because this part is exposed the most to external physical touch. Hence the smart water bottle comes with 3 UVC LEDs (measuring 1mW each) for neck sanitization and a single UVC (measuring 12mW) for water disinfection.

Sidhesh Wilson, the mind behind this practical idea wanted to solve the issue of sharing water bottle while still being sure at all times that there are no chances of infection. The research undertaken by him clearly showed that the bottleneck had far higher chances of infections because it is so close to the water spout, and most of us rest it against the spout to facilitate easy refilling. This physical contact can infect the inside lining of the bottle which needs to be addressed.

Halo water bottle does the job of disinfecting the water and the bottleneck without fail – thus eliminating any accidental spread of dangerous infection including coronavirus and its variants. The idea is still in the prototype stage but has a very high potential to materialize for the consumer market.

The post This UV-enabled smart water bottle disinfects bottleneck and the water inside to keep infections at bay first appeared on Yanko Design.

Targus unveils a virus-killing keyboard light and antimicrobial backpack

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Like it or not, the COVID-19 pandemic will linger for a while — and Targus is orienting most of its new products to fight the new coronavirus while you’re working at home. The company has come to CES 2021 with a slew of safer accessories, most notabl...

The PhoneSoap sterilizes your smartphone with UV rays… and charges it too!

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Here’s the caveat with taking care of your hygiene. You could wear a mask to protect your nose and mouth, you could sing Happy Birthday 20 times a day while washing your hands, and you could make real, conscious efforts to avoid touching your face, but what happens when you get a phone call? You lift the phone off your table, swipe up to accept the call, and then hold the phone against your ear for anywhere between 2 and 20 minutes. They tell you to wash your hands, but they forget to tell you to sanitize your phone, which roughly holds 25,000 bacteria per square inch (it’s statistically one of the dirtiest things you could touch).

Now before you take a wet-wipe to your phone or spray it with Kleenex, it’s worth noting that your smartphone is layered with oleophobic coatings to prevent oils and solvents from damaging it, rendering most disinfectants ineffective. The PhoneSoap, as its name rightfully suggests, was designed for this exact purpose. Rather than using cleaning solvents, PhoneSoap uses UV rays to kill 99.9% of the bacteria and viruses on your phone in merely 10 minutes.

PhoneSoap 3 is the smallest and most powerful product in the PhoneSoap family. Designed to be like a tanning-bed for your smartphone, the PhoneSoap 3 uses high-wavelength UV-C rays on both sides to sterilize your smartphone. Its large chamber fits phones of all sizes and even allows you to charge your phone using its internal 6500mAh battery pack! Just lock your phone and pop it into the chamber and PhoneSoap 3 runs a 10-minute cycle to deep-clean your device, entering even the tough-to-reach spots like the speaker-grilles. An LED indicator on the top tells you when the cycle is over, so you can take your phone out knowing that it’s completely clean after hours of touching hands, faces, and resting on unknown surfaces.

Designer: PhoneSoap

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Samsung’s newest experiments include hands-free typing and a scalp scanner

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It wouldn't be CES without Samsung unveiling projects from C-Lab, and the latest batch is once more trying to solve common problems through unusual methods. For some, the most practical may be SelfieType. As the name suggests, it uses your device's...

Samsung’s newest experiments include hands-free typing and a scalp scanner

Posted on by
It wouldn't be CES without Samsung unveiling projects from C-Lab, and the latest batch is once more trying to solve common problems through unusual methods. For some, the most practical may be SelfieType. As the name suggests, it uses your device's...

MIT’s color-changing ink could let you customize your shoes

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Imagine if, rather than buy your favorite shoes in blue or red, you could buy one pair of shoes and change the color depending on how you feel each day. Maybe you'd decide to add multicolored flames or zebra print. A new, reprogrammable ink might let...