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Temporary tech tattoos can track your health and your location

Catwell

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I love this, not for function but fashion. So cyberpunk. These tattoos do more than give your bragging rights too. (via Chaoticmoon)


FitBit bracelets are the newest and most efficient way to keep track of your health and exercise stats. But what about if there was something that could track those stats without the need for excess accessories? Chaotic Moon, the company developing the haptic feedback headband for the blind, is working on Tech Tats, stick on tattoos that adhere to your skin. You won't find any garish glitter butterflies or tribal symbols here. Instead these tattoos have electronic components in them, including a microcontroller and LED lights. The Atiny85 microcontroller stores and receives data from temperature sensors. Think of it as a more permanent FitBit that can be placed on other places aside from your wrist.

 

These tattoos can be removed and have the ability to monitor various factors including heart rate, body temperature, and even location. The data is then transferred to an on your phone or tablet. Aside from keeping tabs on your health, the company believes the tats have other uses. It may be able to track your child in crowded places, like Target during Black Friday. You may even be able to use it to pay for purchases similar to Apple or Samsung Pay.

 

“This would be implemented by securely storing data on a skin mounted micro controller and transferring the data when the user specifies based on a gesture or fingerprint on a tap to pay style device,” company CEO Ben Lamm explained. It would be interesting, but do we really want to pay for stuff by waving our arms around?

 

The military may even take an interest in it to track the location and condition of soldiers. Tech Tats are currently in the prototype stage and there is currently no price for the device, but Chaotic Moon wants it to be accessible. The company is even thinking about putting them in a Band-Aid like package so users can buy them in bulk.

 

Though it sounds new and innovative, Chaotic Moon aren't the only ones working with tech tattoos. There's a research team in UC San Diego that created tattoos that turn sweat into electricity, while a group of Korean scientists made graphene tattoos. Even Motorola is thinking about creating mic tattoos for your throats.

 

It's an interesting idea, but the thought of having trackers on your body makes some uneasy. There are already trackers on our phones and GPS devices that are supposed to help us with directions. Do we really need some device on our skin with these kind of abilities? It's bad enough most residential addresses can be found due to one quick Google search. Are Tech Tats a good idea or just another invasion of privacy?


 

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