Soft, stretchable, epidermal sensor with integrated electronics and photochemistry for measuring personal UV exposures

PLoS One. 2018 Jan 2;13(1):e0190233. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0190233. eCollection 2018.

Abstract

Excessive ultraviolet (UV) radiation induces acute and chronic effects on the skin, eye and immune system. Personalized monitoring of UV radiation is thus paramount to measure the extent of personal sun exposure, which could vary with environment, lifestyle, and sunscreen use. Here, we demonstrate an ultralow modulus, stretchable, skin-mounted UV patch that measures personal UV doses. The patch contains functional layers of ultrathin stretchable electronics and a photosensitive patterned dye that reacts to UV radiation. Color changes in the photosensitive dyes correspond to UV radiation intensity and are analyzed with a smartphone camera. A software application has feature recognition, lighting condition correction, and quantification algorithms that detect and quantify changes in color. These color changes are then correlated with corresponding shifts in UV dose, and compared to existing UV dose risk levels. The soft mechanics of the UV patch allow for multi-day wear in the presence of sunscreen and water. Two evaluation studies serve to demonstrate the utility of the UV patch during daily activities with and without sunscreen application.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Validation Study

MeSH terms

  • Algorithms
  • Coloring Agents
  • Electronics*
  • Epidermis / physiology*
  • Humans
  • Photochemistry*
  • Ultraviolet Rays*

Substances

  • Coloring Agents

Grants and funding

We have read and understood PLOS ONE policy on declaration of interests and declare the following interests: the research funding was provided by L’Oréal. Authors Yunzhou Shi, Megan Manco, Dominique Moyal, Hemant Joshi, Philippe Bastien and Florent Valceschini, Sophie Seité, Guive Balooch and Rafal M. Pielak were employed by L’Oréal at the time of the study. Author Richard McKenzie provided consultancy at the time of the study and received funding from L’Oréal. Authors Gil Huppert, Guy Griffin, Ellora Sen-Gupta, Donald Wright John A. Wright and Roozbeh Ghaffari were employed by MC10 Inc. at the time of the study and received funding from L’Oréal. Author Alex Seewald was employed by MyStudioFactory at the time of the study and received funding from L’Oréal. Authors: Hitoshi Araki, Anthony Banks and John Rogers were employed by University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign at the time of the study and received research funding from L’Oréal. The research presented in this paper resulted in a commercial product My UV Patch launched by La Roche-Posay Dermatological Laboratories, L’Oréal. This commercial affiliation does not alter our adherence to PLOS ONE policies on sharing data and materials.