Control devices from DuoSkin 2D trackpad.
Gold leaf body art that is fashionable, customizable, removable, safe on the #skin and can send commands to your cellphone? That’s what’s brewing over at MIT right now: DuoSkin, very special temporary #tattoos that not only look cutting edge, but are.
DuoSkin capacitive touch slider made from gold and silver leaf. (Photo: Jimmy Day)
You’ll be able to put body art on your arm that has a button to turn on your music. Or you can add more lines and be able to adjust the volume or change songs by sliding your finger up and down the pattern like a touchpad. Or you can apply DuoSkin around your neck and add itty-bitty LEDs for a custom light up “necklace”. Maybe you just want your body art to change color with your body temperature like a high-tech thermochromic mood ring.
(Wonder if DuoSkin thought of connecting the body art to a panic button safety system for those traveling alone at night? Now they’ll have to!)
DuoSkin’s three-step fabrication process. Step 1: (a) Sketching skin circuitry with graphic design software. Step 2: (b) Fabrication, which includes (c) creating stencils of the circuitry,
d) applying gold leaf as the conductive material, and (e) mounting electronics. Step 3: (f) After completing the circuitry, we apply the DuoSkin device to the user’s skin through water-transfer. (Photos: Microsoft Media/MIT Media Lab)
The designs can be original, drawn by the wearer on a computer. The pattern is then cut out on tattoo paper with the circuit adhered to it. Gold leaf is then laid on the design and the tattoo is applied just like any temporary tattoo from a child’s birthday party goody bag! Depending on the function and purpose of the body art, the tattoo is attached by thin wires to a small circuit board inside a sleeve or it has a tiny wireless NFC chip transmitter adhered in the tattoo. They’re experimenting with adding a color layer to the leaf to give the wearer more options. Their goal is for people to be able to create these themselves or for tattoo parlors to offer the service, bringing in more customers — repeat customers — who hate the commitment of the traditional needle and ink.
NFC tag: communicate and share data with other devices
Why gold leaf? The DuoSkin group at MIT Media Lab, with help from Microsoft Research, were looking for a metal that is conductive but also at the same time clean, skin-safe, easy to attach and remove from skin. Gold leaf also is forgiving; it isn’t easily disturbed as copper tape or copper wire are when stuck on a moving body part like the forearm. There are also less allergic reactions with the gold than the copper. However, those allergic to gold may want to think twice before trying, but perhaps they’re safe: there is a layer of tattoo paper between the gold and the skin to prevent the gold from conducting the natural electricity that comes from the skin and thus interfering with the touch signals.
Gold is inert and harmless when ingested as sprinkles on pieces of gourmet chocolate, or on top a mound of rice in an exotic dish, or floating in a drink. Gold is also all the rage in skincare; those who have yearned for the gold fleck facial oil (like Farsáli Rose Gold Elixir, Tatcha Camellia Gold Beauty Oil, PRAI 24K Gold Precious Oil Drops, etc.), gold facial masks (like Mario Badescu, Lorion, Martinni, Peter Thomas Roth, Orogold, etc.) and gold creams and serums (Allegresse, Deep Sea Cosmetics, Euphorie, etc) know that the use of gold in beauty products is trendy and may be beneficial for the skin.
Embedded LEDs in silver leaf “jewelry”
The best features: you can remove it, create your own designs and change it. You wouldn’t have to touch your phone in your pocket to answer your phone.
The absolutely best part: no pain and it’s not permanent!
Mood ‘Too: Thermochromic displays activated through underlying resistive heating elements
Keep your eye on this new technology. Very exciting.
Recent Comments