Wristband points to sunny days for children

The device, called SunPoints, is designed to make sure young people aged eight to 14 get the required amount of UV light, which is needed for the body to produce vitamin D.

The wristband has been invented by an Edinburgh Napier graduate, Andrew O'Dowd, as part of his postgraduate course in interaction design.

It is believed that Scots do not get enough vitamin D from sunlight during winter months, which has been linked to an increased chance of developing conditions such as multiple sclerosis, cancer, rickets and heart failure.

The SunPoints wristband monitors the amount of UV light a person is exposed to when outdoors and gives them a signal to go indoors once they have had enough sunlight, or to put on sun protection.

Mr O'Dowd said: "I designed the SunPoints device to help educate young people about healthy living.

"When I was doing research and developing the SunPoints product, I found a recent survey where 50 per cent of people surveyed said their child spent less than two hours per day away from technologies such as computers and games consoles.

"I found this quite shocking, but I took inspiration from this research for my design."

Mr O'Dowd went on: "The SunPoints wristband is aimed at teaching young people about the importance of vitamin D, while also encouraging them to get outdoors and into the fresh air.

"We all know that sunshine is good for us in moderation - it makes us feel good - but consideration should always be taken to ensuring that we're appropriately protected. That's why the wristband has a sensor that changes colour when the wearer has had enough UV light".

A prototype of the wristband has been made and tested, and it is in the early stages of being taken to market.

Mr O'Dowd said there were opportunities to promote the wristband through links with computer consoles, allowing young people to unlock new games once they had received their daily dose of sunshine.