It's been a long winter here in the Hub. With the sun setting long before you leave the office, the seemingly sub-zero temperatures and sidewalks piled with gray slush seem all the more drab. Sad to say, but Boston has all the makings for a mean mix of the seasonal blues.
Fortunately, this Harvard Medical School-spun startup has big plans to bring your spirits up with their new sun-sensing wearable. And considering they are nearly halfway to reaching their $50,000 Indiegogo campaign goal after one day, it’s safe to say that the company has a reason to look on the sunny side.
Founded in September 2012 by doctors Jacqueline Olds and Richard Schwartz, GoodLux's “goal is to help their patients live healthier and happier lives,” the company’s CEO Ed Likovich told BostInno via email.
The startup’s first stab at satisfying that aim? SunSprite, a wearable, completely solar-powered and connected device designed to make people more aware of how much – or how little – sunlight they’re getting on a daily basis.
“Dozens of scientific studies have linked effective bright light exposure to increased energy and focus, better mood, and more regular and deeper sleep,” explained Likovich. But despite solid scientific evidence supporting the benefits of bright light, “there hasn’t been an accurate way to track our exposure to ensure we’re receiving the optimal amount of light.”
SunSprite's dual UV sensors soak up all the rays in your range, whether you’re walking outside or sitting by a window. The small, thin device uses powerful magnets to clip, and stay, on everything from your thickest parka to a purse strap. Perhaps the most striking differentiator of the product, however, is that SunSprite runs entirely off of solar energy. In just a few minutes outside, the device takes in enough sun to power its way through a few days, meaning there’s no need to fret over forgetting a cord when you go on vacation.
What's more, the tech’s Bluetooth technology syncs up to a cutting-edge iOS app, which was crafted by Boston development shop Raizlabs.
“We try to anticipate where the puck is moving in mobile, and one of those areas happens to be around Bluetooth Low Energy,” shared Raizlabs Product Manager Katie Tomezsko with BostInno. “Since it is still emerging, and many improvements and iterations are being made in that space, and we had to deeply understand the device and how it would communicate with the app.”
Racking up all the device’s data, the app displays crisp visualizations based on your sun exposure. What’s more, Sunsprite’s app shows a UV index scale in real-time, alerting you if you’ve spent too much time out under the sun and may be susceptible to burn. “We also did a lot of neat things with the UI,” continues Tomezsko. “Our design team pushed hard with creating an awesome user interface and pushed our devs to the limit to make it look, function and feel amazing.”
The result: A beautiful app, an environmentally-friendly device and a happier, healthier you. For those cooped up in a cubicle all day, SunSprite might be the push you need to go outside and frolic more. When laying out in the summer, you'll be able to thank the device for keeping you from turning into a lobster – and potentially preventing you from skin cancer down the road. Either way, springtime and SunSprite can’t come to Boston soon enough.
Go here to check out and contribute to SunSprite’s Indiegogo campaign.
