Nokia Applies For Vibrating Tattoo Patent

New submitter CanHasDIY writes "Tired of waiting for the Pip-Boy or Omni-Tool to be invented? Never fear! Nokia is developing the basic technology needed to make your dreams a reality: haptic-feedback tattoos. According to the patent application, Nokia is proposing 'a material attachable to skin, the material capable of detecting a magnetic field and transferring a perceivable stimulus to the skin, wherein the perceivable stimulus relates to the magnetic field.' Basically, the process is the same as for normal tattooing; the difference is in the ferromagnetic ink. Kind of brings new meaning to the term 'embedded device,' doesn't it?"

Comments

I wonder what a MRI would feel like

[FictionPimp]

Subject says it all.

Re:I wonder what a MRI would feel like

[Rakshasa-sensei]

Well, more like every second year... When the brain is involved it's better to be on the safe side.

And it is one of the benefits of free universal healthcare; when it is necessary with regular checkups, even if expensive, there's no health insurance company there to complain.

It's all nice and fine

[Hentes]

until you have to take an MRI.

Re:It's all nice and fine

[Anonymous Coward]

I've had MRIs (two of them, one after another), and among the checklist items beyond no metal was tattoos. Apparently they can heat up during an MRI, I was informed, when I asked why they had tattoos on the checklist form.

Now, I don't have any tattoos, but the experience was interesting enough. For those who have not been in an MRI chamber, here is my take on that: I got the head MRI done, so the rest of me was outside the chamber. Still, the main issue was that I felt I was not able to breathe in there after about three minutes. They told me the air flow was at maximum, then gave me supplemental oxygen when I told them it still wasn't enough airflow, and I was good after that. (Otherwise, they told me, I would need to get a sedative from my doctor and then return.)

Everything else wasn't even a factor, except for me mentioning it for others who have not had an MRI. The bed part isn't too hard, nor is it absolutely pillow soft, and they provide something to elevate the feet. The face shield isn't too bad it's like a football helmet mask. They offered me eye pads, but I said I wanted to be able to open and close my eyes at will, they didn't see any problems if I did open my eyes during the MRI. For me, it wasn't even the enclosed circular chamber with small diameter and no other visibility unless I would have moved my head to look at my feet (and moving the head is not allowed or it will blur the result). It wasn't even loud buzzing and grinding sounds despite having earplugs and earpads. It was just the airflow issue, and the oxygen fixed that.

rule 34

[godrik]

Am I the only one to immediately think of how to apply rule 34 to it?

Re:rule 34

[GameboyRMH]

I can see some applications in wireless teledildonics. Installation would suck though...

Re:rule 34

[g0bshiTe]

Man oh man, I'm going back to school, I want to major in teledildonics installations.

Not all that novel...

[grnbrg]

People have been implanting magnetic stuff for a while...

http://www.wired.com/gadgets/mods/news/2006/06/71087

Re:Prior art

[Baloroth]

Patents* don't cover ideas. Patents cover inventions. Call me up when having the idea for a warp drive means you know how to build one.

*Real, valid, how-they-are-meant-to-be-used patents. Software and design patents (such as the iPad/Galaxy Tablet thing) are just stupid.

Spidey Sense

[WillgasM]

We're a step closer to making one of the lamer superpowers a reality.

Re:How is this novel?

[Dr_Barnowl]

There is plenty of prior art for the tech of implantable magnetics :

A Sixth Sense for a Wired World

Haptic feedback is probably a candidate for the Next Big Thing in human interface devices, the other being wearable displays.