There are some 2,779 hours of sun in Majorca each year; 230 days per year. While this is positive for those who wish to enjoy the sun and the beach, there is a downside: melanoma. Since 2005, over 250 people in the Balearics have died of skin cancer.
A Majorcan company, HiSun, has created HiSun Point, an information concept for sun protection that is backed by the Balearic branch of the Spanish Association Against Cancer (AECC). Nadal Muñoz, originally from Muro, is one of those behind this project, and it could be one deployed on beaches this summer.
HiSun Point is an apparatus of modular construction with various functions. Muñoz says that there is a rest area for people who want to protect themselves from the sun's rays for a time. It also includes a defibrillator, recycling containers and a tower that operates like traffic lights. It emits changes of colour according to the level of solar radiation at a given moment.
With a height of five metres, the tower can be seen for a good distance on any beach. This in turn alerts beachgoers to the fact that there is a place where a defibrillator can be used in the case of an emergency.
The most innovative aspect of HiSun Point is a digital screen linked to the only software on the market that is capable of detecting a person's skin type. It can inform the user how long it will take before there is sunburn and can advise on the factor of sun protection creams. This service is free.
The system was presented at the Madrid Fitur tourism fair in January and was very well received. Isabel Andreu of the AECC says that Balearic political and business representatives were very taken with it. She adds that it is an innovative project with a means of sun protection that is unique anywhere in the world.
At present, there is no confirmation of HiSun Point being installed on beaches. But Muñoz notes that there is great interest at Palma town hall, and he would certainly like Majorca to be the first destination to use it.