These metallic temporary tattoos are called DuoSkin- and they’re not just for beauty. The team of researchers for DuoSkin wanted to accomplish the same thing with the project.
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The paper demonstrates three types of on-skin interfaces: sensing touch input, displaying output, and wireless communication. This is the same material that can sometimes be seen on top of desserts, and it is being used for DuoSkin due to its low price and basic conductivity. “DuoSkin devices enable users to control their mobile devices, display information, and store information on their skin while serving as a statement of personal style”, explains the research team in their paper.
The wearable can turn into a touchpad to remotely control your smartphone, or share data using NFC (Near Field Communication).
DuoSkin has been developed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Microsoft Research, allowing users to create customised functional devices that attach directly to the skin. They can change color or light up to reflect users’ mood; users can also get an antenna tattoo through which they can transmit data via Bluetooth or NFC. Kao said that the technology could find its way into tattoo parlors in the future, especially with the customization options covering not only the design of the tattoos, but also their functions.
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However, since the application resembles that of a normal tattoo, even these Duoskin tattoos would last a few days at the most.
