Skin-Based Display Screens From Nanotech Tattoos

destinyland writes "Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in New York is developing flexible nanotubes inserted under the skin to create a handheld display — inside your hand. They wirelessly receive data and display reminders and text messages, and the concept has also been broadened to suggest endlessly programmable digital tattoos, while Netherlands-based Royal Philips Electronics is also exploring the concept of the body as 'a platform for electronics and interactive skin technologies'." That middle link is quite old, but is still loaded with interesting links.

Comments

Allright!!

[SalaSSin]

Finally a way to change my tattoo every time i feel like it, and get rid of my gf's complaints that she doesn't want me to have more tattoos.

Re:Allright!!

[AlecC]

The possibilities for hacking other people's tattoos are frightening. You can hardly go around keeping a continuous watch on them, especially on your back. Imagine going to work at school labelled "Crack $5/bag".

Re:Allright!!

[bugnuts]

And then you make sure the tattoo display device renders the sanitized html correctly. (for all those n00bs who thought this went off-topic)

Re:Allright!!

[cayenne8]

I wonder if these palm electronic 'tatoos', could be federally mandated to look like a 'crystal', and change color every 7 years of your life. At 21, it could blink when you are on lastday, before you have to turn yourself in for sleep.

Hmm....shoot, I'll be we could transform the DEA into a group called sandmen, you know, just in case you decided to 'run' and not turn yourself in for sleep.

Re:Allright!!

[maxwell demon]

Well, [ & ] can be hit with a single key, whereas require the shit key to be hit as well.

Well, my keyboard doesn't have a shit key. I understand that you wouldn't want to touch that quite often. Maybe you should get one with a shift key instead. :-)

BTW, I never understood what problems people have with pressing shift. I don't have any problems with it (not even when writing German, where there are a lot of upper case letters). OTOH, on German keyboards, the [ and ] characters are some of the hardest characters to type: You have to press, at the same time, the AltGr key (on US keyboards there's the right Alt key at that position) and the keys 8 resp. 9.

This nice sounds nice

[Norsefire]

but most Geeks don't have a high pain threshold.

Re:This nice sounds nice

[supernova_hq]

Dude... If you fall asleep on my couch, the cat will extend her paw 2 1/2 feet in the air (over the arm rest), sink her claws into the back of your skull, and then pull them back out again.

Scares the living shit out of you the first few times!

Re:This nice sounds nice

[Merls the Sneaky]

Are you joking? A tattoo hurts a lot less than regular high school beatings or unrequited love.

well........

[tatermonkey]

Its only a matter of time before someone figures out how to get porn on it.

A Cautionary Note

[hyades1]

If programmable digital tattoos catch on, it might be a good idea if the data feed in your "handheld display" was used to ensure that the name in your tattoo matches the name of the person you're with.

Hands-on

[Mr. Moose]

Where can I get some hands-on experience with this technology?

I've been wanting this for a...

[Eric Smith]

wristwatch without the watch, for a long time now.

Re:Ohhh... can you imagine the hack possibilities

[El_Muerte_TDS]

Oh the possibilities

- Wash me
- Kick me
- Buy cheap v1agr4
- ...
- Profit!

Voice command?

[Millennium]

If they could figure out a voice-command interface to this, "Talk to the hand" could get a whole new meaning.

Ni-Go-Zeero-Ichi

[Drakkenmensch]

One step closer to Ghost in the Shell's brain hacking becoming an everyday reality!