‘Bikini Connecté’ is designed by a company in France.
By Raif Karerat
WASHINGTON, DC: In an effort to upgrade sunburn protection for the 21st century, a French company has released a bikini that contains an embedded sensor that warns its wearer when they’ve spent too much time under the sun via their smartphone.
The “Bikini Connecté” (the Connected Bikini) was designed by the company Spinali Design in Mulhouse, eastern France. According to the Daily Mail, the sensor is removable and waterproof, meaning beach-goers won’t have any issues jumping into the ocean.
Sun-intensive countries like Australia and Brazil were prime target markets, Spinali told economic daily La Tribune.
“The project came from an off-the-cuff remark after seeing people looking like lobsters still in the sun,” head of Spinali Design Marie Spinali explained to The Telegraph.
A beach towel version is also available, and a children’s version is being developed, complete with GPS alert to warn parents if kids wander off on the beach, she continued.
The Connected Bikini is one of a number of “smart” products that are trending at the moment.
HidrateMe — a smart water bottle — making big waves on Kickstarter, has raised more than 7 times its allotted $35,000 goal with more than a month to go.
The bottle, which is constructed from BPA-free plastic, holds 24 ounces of water. It contains a sensor that tracks how much you drink and then transmits that information to an accompanying app on your smartphone via Bluetooth. Furthermore, the app collects data about your physical stats and activity levels and then calculates your ideal water intake per day.
The Daily Mail also pointed to LilyPad — another French firm — which offers a floating sensor for swimming pools that also measures UV and advises bathers the best times to swim, along with water temperature.