Sunburn bracelet could save you another summer scalding

With our pale skin and fair complexions, we Irish are no strangers to sunburn. However, familiar summer scenes of a scalded nation could be a thing of the past thanks to a team of scholars.

Researchers in Queen’s University Belfast are saying goodbye to red raw burns, having developed a simplistic early warning sunburn indicator — a plastic bracelet that turns a different colour when you are about to get burned by the sun.

The blue bangle contains ‘smart’ ink, which loses its colour just before exposure to too much ultraviolet light, prompting sunbathers to move into the shade.