UVision: A Lightweight Portable UVR

Detection System
Omar I. Hoblos1, Matthew W. Sheehan1, Devin J. Laferriere1, Chen-Hsiang Yu2
1 2
Biomedical/Medical Engineering Computer Science and Networking
Wentworth Institute of Technology Wentworth Institute of Technology
{hobloso, sheehanm4, laferriered}@wit.edu [email protected]

UVR damage is undoubtedly the potential of cancer. Common

Abstract—Ultraviolet radiation (UVR) from the sun can cancer types that result in UVR overexposure include basal
cause major damage to the skin if it is overexposed. The cell carcinoma (BCC), squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and
damage can be minor, from a sunburn to accelerated skin malignant melanoma [2]. UV-A and UV-B have different
aging, to major with the development of detrimental skin harmful effects on the skin. UV-A is the more prevalent one
cancers. UV photons that are able to bypass the natural but less effective since it penetrates deeper into the
defenses of the skin, melanin and DNA, can cause subcutaneous layer of the skin. Although less effective, UV-A
mutagenic damage to DNA, which can result in a range of is still known to cause skin cancer. UV-B is known to cause
harmful effects. Relying solely on the skin’s natural the majority of the harmful effects including sunburn and
defenses against the sun is ill advised. The use of sunblock cancer since it penetrates closer to the surface of the skin,
decreases a person’s chances of skin damage, but changing mostly the epidermis and part of the dermis [3].
overall behavior through education is healthier. In this To best interpret UVR levels on a day-to-day basis, the UV
paper, we propose a lightweight portable UVR detection index was established in 1992 in Canada, and later adopted as
system, UVision. It consists of a wearable UV sensor for the standard indicator of UV levels by the world in 1994 [4].
collecting real time UVR data and an Android application The UV index is based on the erythemal action spectrum,
for displaying the sensor’s results. The sensor will connect which shows the most immediate short-term impact on human
to the mobile application via Bluetooth and provide the skin. The index represents erythemally weighted UV radiation
user with awareness on UVR damage and suggestions to
as a single integer, usually from 0-15. The number is obtained
stay protected. With nearly five million Americans being
by a specific conversion factor between UV index and
treated for skin cancer each year and medical expenses for
erythemal irradiance measured in Watts per meters squared
skin cancer costing about $8.3 billion annually, modern
[4]. Irradiance is the measure of power per unit area, and a
educational tools are needed. UVision looks to do just that
person’s specific irradiance can be calculated for the most
in a cost-efficient manner.
accurate reading. Irradiance has many influential factors
including dosage, time, and angle of the UVR hitting the skin
I. INTRODUCTION [5].
The sun is known to have several benefits to the body and
The key to staying safe under the sun is to be aware of it at
cures several diseases. From lupus vulgaris to psoriasis, the
all times and knowing what is needed to remain safe. To
range of ultraviolet radiation (UVR) that the sun provides is
address this issue, we developed a lightweight portable UVR
known to help cure these diseases in the right dose [2]. UVR
system, UVision, to keep users aware of current surrounding
lies between 100 and 400 nm on the electromagnetic
UV radiation. UVision contains two components: a wearable
spectrum. It is further split into three main sections: UV-A,
ultraviolet sensor and a mobile application. The users can use
UV-B, and UV-C, each with a specific wavelength range.
the system to easily know the exact UV index they are being
Generally speaking, the earth’s atmosphere is efficient at exposed and take suggestions from the app.
attenuating the extremely harmful UVR bands through
absorption [2]. Out of the radiation that does pass the II. RELATED WORK
atmosphere, only 5% is UVR with roughly 96.65% in the UV- The field of wearable technology is an ever-growing market
A range and 3.35% in the UV-B range. UV-C is not a factor in made popular by the high prevalence of smartphones. Popular
harmful UVR. However, ultraviolet radiation can be very
wearable devices, such as Nike health band and Fitbit Charge
dangerous and harmful to the skin if not properly protected.
HR, keep users aware of their physical fitness in a small
Staying under the sun for long periods of time without proper
wearable device. The trend of wearable devices is
protection can lead to erythema (sunburn), photoaging, and the
continuously growing, but many markets are still untapped,
development of carcinogenesis [2]. The major concern with
including sun awareness.

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 In the past, to keep the public aware of sunburns, Adafruit sensor was the more valuable sensor since it outputs
melanoma, and skin cancer, organizations such as the results directly in UV index as opposed to the Sparkfun sensor
American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) launched media which outputs a value in irradiance which would require more
campaigns through radio, television, and newspaper [6]. These processing power to convert each value. The sensor was tested
previous attempts were moderately successful between 1986 under direct sunlight to ensure the accuracy of the readings
and 1996 by increasing use of sunscreen, but did not greatly when compared to UV indices from weather reports. The
affect the behaviors that result in sunburns and skin damage. SI1145 consists of visible and infrared sensors that are used to
As a matter of fact, the use of tanning parlors increased during interpolate a UV index value. This means the sensor does not
this time due to social perception of having tanned skin, directly measure UV and can only properly work under direct
making the campaigns less successful [6]. Educational
sunlight. One of the most important aspects during the
awareness has also been integrated into elementary, middle
prototype phase was to try to find a way to perfectly
and high school programs by taking regular sessions over
encapsulate the sensor and the other electronics to make the
short periods of time [7]. These classes would result in more
detailed knowledge of skin cancers, prevention and awareness. device waterproof. The sensor datasheet stated that the use of
They did not affect behavior as much as increasing general Plexiglass would only minimally affect the sensor. Upon
awareness [8]. testing, the Plexiglass (with thickness 0.05 in.) over the sensor
read an average of 1 index value below the sensor reading
The June by Netatmo, is the only major wearable device on without the Plexiglass. This turned out to be advantageous
the market for UV protection. The June takes a beauty since the sensor tends to read one index value higher than the
approach to marketing their device, focusing more on making weather reports.
the device a fashionable item that prevents wrinkles caused by
overexposure to the sun, rather than a health approach to B.Final Phase
protect against serious complications caused by UVR
The final components are shown in Figure 2. The HC-06
overexposure as UVision does.
was chosen as the Bluetooth module for its simplicity even
III. APPROACH though there are much smaller modules. The Bluetooth
connection was successfully tested and properly pairs with the
UVision looks to reduce the number of damaged skin cases created Android app. The final design makes the device
by making people aware of the damages of the sun. The recharge easily and conserves battery usage. The system is
system consists of the wearable sensor and mobile application.
powered by a 3.7 volt, 105 mAh lithium polymer battery. The
The sensor must be small and portable in order for the user to
lipo charger purchased from Adafruit is bulky, but it allows
wear the device anywhere they travel. The sensor must also be
the system to stay connected to the battery and recharge at the
wearable in a variety of ways as well as gender neutral to
ensure anyone can wear it. The app must be informative to same time. Attempts to design a custom PCB with this same
educate the user on what UV index is as well as how to stay ability failed at the soldering stage. The battery life lasted
protected. It is important to ensure the app is not advertised as about 4 hours on average.
a mobile health app, however, since the app can only inform
the user, not diagnose. UVision can be a helpful tool for
people of all ages. From families on a camping trip to people
working outdoors, UVision can keep everyone aware of the
sun and help keep people as safe as possible. Figure 1 below
provides a block diagram of the system.

Fig. 2. From Top to Bottom: Adafruit Flora SI1145, Arduino Pro

Fig. 1. UVision System Layout Block Diagram Mini, HC-06 Bluetooth, and Rechargeable lithium polymer battery.
The quarter is to give a reference for size.
IV. DESIGN AND TECHNIQUES
A. Initial Testing C. Case Design

Initial testing focused on choosing the proper sensor and The casing looked to accomplish several goals: portability,
microcontroller to fit the scope of the project. The components waterproof, and wearable. An Objet 3D printer was used for
for testing include the Arduino Uno, the Sparkfun ML8511 the casing. The plastic material is less than ideal but due to
sensor and the Adafruit SI1145 UV/Visible/IR sensor. The budget and resource constraints, the material sufficed. The

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case is portable and lightweight. If we could have smaller ADT plugin were used to develop the application. The created
components, we could make the overall casing much smaller. software also works for latest Android Studio IDE. Through
The case was designed in Solidworks to snap together to the use of the Android Software Development Kit (SDK), we
ensure water could not get to the electronics. The Plexiglass have developed a functioning application that can work on any
shielding the sensor and LEDs allows the sun to still shine on Android smartphone and is designed to work with the UV
the sensor without requiring the direct exposure to maintain sensor via Bluetooth. The application provides a functioning
full enclosure. Finally, the charging port is sealed with rubber interaction to effectively communicate the current UV index
that can be easily removed. Ideally the seal would be attached to the user. There are two main components in the application.
to the casing to avoid the potential of losing it. To make the
wearing versatile, a basic aluminum clip was attached to allow
the sensor clipped on to any article of clothing, ranging from
shirts to pants, hats, purses and backpacks.
D. Programming
All the programming for the system was done using
Arduino IDE to program the Arduino Pro Mini. The program
looks to provide the app with the most useful numbers that can
give the user the best information to stay protected. Once the
device is turned on, the user is told to point the sensor directly
at the sun as a calibration to get the maximum index of the
area. The program simply obtains one value per second and
averages 60 values to give one index per minute. This gives
the user enough information on the sun to maintain a real time
awareness of sun damage. To ensure the sensor can stand
alone without the phone, an LED warning system at the top of
the device gives the user information on how dangerous the
sun is without the exact index. One LED is an index range of
0-5, two LEDs are 6-8, and three LEDs correspond to
dangerously high, i.e. 9+.
Fig. 4. A screenshot captured from the Home Screen of the Android
application on a Google Nexus 5, running Android 5.1.

The first component is the home screen UI. The first screen
that the user sees after opening up the application contains the
most important features of the device. The core features of the
layout can be seen in Figure 4. There is a large number in the
top left-hand corner that represents the UV index for that day.
The color of the number changes depending on intensity of the
recorded UV index. The horizontal colored bar with a gradient
is a progress bar programmed to fill based on the UV index
reading. A pop-up message is displayed estimating the amount
of time it may take to get sunburn based on the current UV
reading. The “Apply Lotion” button activates the timer
displayed. This timer serves to remind the user to re-apply sun
lotion, a core way to protect visible skin when outside for
Fig. 3. The Final Completed Case Design - 3D printed with ABS extended periods of time.
plastic. All the components fit inside. The micro-USB port seen above The two images at the bottom of the screen serve as visual
is allows for easy charging. indicators as to what protection is recommended for the
current UV index. A sun protection lotion bottle, with the SPF
E. Application Design
recommended, and an avatar wearing protective clothes like
In addition to writing software for the device, including the sunglasses and hat serve to remind the user of what can protect
sensor, we also develop an Android mobile application for the in the strong UV conditions. The images and text views are
public to read information on their mobile devices. The mobile clickable and they redirect the user to pages with related
application development started from idea generation, information.
refinement, paper prototyping, user interface and user
experience (UI/UX) design to software development and The second component was a navigation drawer that helps
testing. The application development took about 5 months, the user navigate through the pages containing health
starting from April 2015. Eclipse IDE combined with Android information. There are plenty of information and data on the

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web about skin protection and health. UVision’s goal was to user an up-to-date database of weather information for both
simplify that information into an easy to access and the predicted index and changing conditions throughout the
consumable form so that the user could understand the day. To make the sensor more accurate and reliable, a
benefits of protecting the skin. The application contains calibration feature would be added to better estimate the index
multiple pages on the UV Index, types of skin, protection as the day progresses. An improvement to the layout will
methods, and basic skin disease information. The goal is to promote ease and quality of use and make it visually
keep the user informed of the changing UV conditions, track appealing. Last but not least, a user study with real people will
durations of exposure and intensity, and remind the user of be conducted to provide feedbacks to improve current system,
resources available to minimize skin damage.
including hardware and mobile application.
V. CONCLUSION AND FUTURE DIRECTIONS
REFERENCES
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forecast page proved difficult to orientate and would give the

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