Subdermal Magnets Allow You To Wear an IPod Like a Watch

Okian Warrior writes "Tattoo artist Jersey from Dynasty Tattoo (in New Jersey) implanted sub-dermal magnets in his arm to wear his iPod touch like a watch. From the article: '“Those magnets are actually called micro-dermal anchors, and in body piercing they are very common. The tops are actually just 5 millimetre magnetic tops,” he said. “I took the ends of magnets and actually adhered them to the back of the iPod, and that’s how they click into my skin.” He added: “I can go for a run and it won’t come off. I’ve already taken it to the gym and jogged with it on.”'"

Comments

Apple announces

[Anonymous Coward]

New, even smaller, iPod. Users will need to buy new accessories, or new arms in this case.

Re:Apple announces

[Anonymous Coward]

I was thinking, "New, smaller, sub-dermal iPod! Just plug your headphones into your wrist!"

Re:Apple announces

[Anonymous Coward]

Alternatively, "New, same sized, sub-dermal iPod! It really fucking hurts!"

Re:Apple announces

[JaredOfEuropa]

"Why is it called an eyePhone?"
- "Ehm, I'll explain after I install it."

Re:Apple announces

[plover]

"Surgery"? Body modders are not surgeons. They may (or may not) follow best practices around hygiene, sterilization, air filtration, infection control, etc. Their pain management is limited to over the counter medications and topical treatments such as ice. What they have in common with surgeons is they both take knives to skin.

Re:Apple announces

[MobileTatsu-NJG]

First you complain that they charge arms and legs
for their products. Then, when they finally start selling arms, you still complain! Leaaave Apple alone!! :)

Re:Apple announces

[Hentes]

You are holding it wrong.

Re:Apple announces

[Thud457]

if you check TFA and see the guys arm

If you check the T S A, this guy doesn't fly anywhere.

Re:Apple announces

[Joce640k]

Just stick it the side of your head, saves time and you can use shorter cables.

Re:Apple announces

[Capt.DrumkenBum]

"Why is it called an eyePhone?" - "Ehm, I'll explain after I install it."

You think that's bad, wait 'til they install the earpiece...

You don't want to know where the charger port goes.

Re:Apple announces

[michelcolman]

I was wondering why the magnets are protruding from his skin. Wouldn't it be way cooler to have them under the skin, invisible?

Re:Apple announces

[517714]

Next you'll be suggesting he have flesh-tone skin.

Magnets?! How to they %#^&^@# work?

[TWX]

Seriously, there was a day and age when "magnets = bad" was the mantra. What kind of problems should this guy actually see with his gear, long term, subjecting it to strong magnetism? Will this mess with the memory in the device? Will this accelerate problems like tin whiskers?

Re:Magnets?! How to they %#^&^@# work?

[NoNonAlphaCharsHere]

Fuck hemoglobin, I want to know how the implanted rare earth magnets might effect my iPod.

Re:Magnets?! How to they %#^&^@# work?

[RobertLTux]

and i would bet that at 90ish angles to a strong electrical field there is almost always a strong Magnetic field.

Re:Magnets?! How to they %#^&^@# work?

[erroneus]

He will fall asleep with his iPod attached to his wrist and they'll have to cut something off eventually.

I think he would be better off with a velcro band with a magnet on it...

Anyway, the words "really" "bad" and "idea" come to mind here.

Re:Magnets?! How to they %#^&^@# work?

[Damion]

Subdermal magnets are pretty weak compared to the magnets you'd find in, e.g., a hard disk head. Speaking from experience, they certainly aren't strong to wipe a credit card, so I double they'd be a threat to any practical device.

Re:Magnets?! How to they %#^&^@# work?

[Damion]

Only if the fields are changing. RTFMAXWELLEQUATIONS.

Re:Magnets?! How to they %#^&^@# work?

[Nadaka]

The problem isn't the magnet.

The problem is that the skin compressed between two magnets will eventually die and rot away from the compression and he will have a hole in his arm.

Re:Magnets?! How to they %#^&^@# work?

[K. S. Kyosuke]

and i would bet that at 90ish angles to a strong electrical field there is almost always a strong Magnetic field.

You must be an official Star Trek script writer.

Re:Magnets?! How to they %#^&^@# work?

[fuzzyfuzzyfungus]

If I were in a betting mood, I'd imagine that the largest risk would be implant degradation. Rare earth magnets, in their raw or thin-layer-of-nickel-plate forms, are not biocompatible or stable under implant conditions. If the protective coating(the firmer flavors of silicone elastomer seem to be popular; but I'm sure that there are others) is breached he'll have to get out the potato peeler and dig out a nasty lump of putrifying magnet corrosion products. Hardly fatal; but neither fun nor scar-free.

It didn't take too long for that to happen to the 'magnet in fingertip for 6th sense' guy, and I wouldn't be terribly optimistic here.

Re:Magnets?! How to they %#^&^@# work?

[acedotcom]

except thats not how these implants work. the actual magnets sit just above the skin like external mounts so the only tension on the skin is from the bases of the implants.

the real problem having to get new implants to support next years model.

Re:Magnets?! How to they %#^&^@# work?

[tom17]

Actually, the magnets are not *under* his skin. They stick out through holes in his skin.

What a bad bad idea.

Re:Magnets?! How to they %#^&^@# work?

[StikyPad]

Maybe, if it's worn constantly, and only if the compression is high enough to prevent blood flow. Using sufficiently weak magnets would probably be no more restrictive to circulation than wearing a standard watch. And absent a serious opiate habit, pain would probably cause most people to remove a device long before there was real damage.

Re:Magnets?! How to they %#^&^@# work?

[tom17]

Correct. The title is incorrect.

Re:Magnets?! How to they %#^&^@# work?

[PPH]

Actually, if I understand the postings of those with similar implants: There is an inert, coated steel implant under the skin. Once the surgery has healed, thin, disc shaped magnets are placed on top of the skin (so they may be removed periodically) and the object (iPod) sticks to the other side of these magnets.

Having things sticking through your skin (long term) is a great way to introduce infection into your body.

Re:Magnets?! How to they %#^&^@# work?

[Joce640k]

Pulling the phone of his arm must be fun...

Re:Magnets?! How to they %#^&^@# work?

[Lumpy]

Sounds like a good way to get infections.

Re:Magnets?! How to they %#^&^@# work?

[jonadab]

> he would have said that the strong magnetic [fields] caused a subspace
> anomaly that attracts interphasic lifeforms which make human cells devolve

No, no, no. Interphasic life forms are attraced by the new interphasic fusion process. Sheesh. Don't you understand science at all?

Strong magnetic fields are much more likely to cause "interference", which makes it harder to use communicators (you get a lot of static, for which you have to compensate) and transporters (you have to install custom filters or narrow the annular confinement beam or something) and sensors (at minimum, you have to reroute auxiliary power to the lateral sensor array).

Magnetic fields can also be harnessed and used, e.g., as a confinement field (such as one might use to keep antimatter in its storage tank -- an important fuel source for starships; your warp reactor core wouldn't work without antimatter).

Re:Magnets?! How to they %#^&^@# work?

[jonadab]

> Anyway, the words "really" "bad" and "idea" come to mind here.

He's a "body modification artist". Really bad ideas are a key aspect of his lifestyle.

Magnets in your body? That's nice.

[maweki]

It is nice but I rather be augmented sensewise than fashionwise by these magnets. I'd love one in my fingertip that induces a current whenever I am very near alternating current. Would give us the ability to feel electric energy or magnetic fields in general.
Regarding the iPod: Actually, my pocket works very good, Thank you!

Re:Magnets in your body? That's nice.

[RobertLTux]

fingertip magents would be a very BAD idea.

the way it works is you have current whenever you have motion in a magnetic field so you would have all sorts of problems

(besides all you would need really is a small coil not a magnet)

(for details look up Right Hand Rule (electronics) in Wikipedia)

Re:Magnets in your body? That's nice.

[artor3]

Have fun getting an MRI.

Re:Magnets in your body? That's nice.

[Damion]

It's pretty sweet. I've got one in my right thumb and index finger. I feel a buzz whenever there's a strong enough alternating field nearby, and a tug whenever I pass my hand near strong static magnets. I'll be walking down the street and feel sensors to detect the presence of cars, and I can feel the brakes in subway cars. Nothing particularly practical, but I figure I may get a couple of seconds warning before the shockwave if I ever feel an EMP.

In terms of strength, I can basically pick up staples. Anything heavier falls off. Other magnets I can drag around on the table pretty easily, though it's uncomfortable to have them actually contact my fingers.

Re:Magnets in your body? That's nice.

[Damion]

Speaking as a guy with magnets in his fingertips, you're wrong. They're nowhere near strong enough to cause trouble.

Re:Magnets in your body? That's nice.

[vlm]

Ah this old idea that pops up on /. every month or so.

This is where I relate that you can get ALMOST the same experience temporarily with stretchy gloves and little magnets in the fingertips. Obviously buy gloves with fabric fingers just a little longer than your fingers. In the frozen north, in season, this is not much of a challenge... Florida /.ers are probably all like, gloves, what are those?

It is fun for at least a couple hours. Try touching the body of a big motor or old fashioned xfrmr power supply. Variable speed AC/DC "universal" motors were not as much fun as I expected. Waving in front of a CRT screen is entertaining.

You want gloves thick/strong enough to not tear, but not so thick as to lose sensation.

GOOG for "magnetic wedding ring" and you'll find lots of crackpot "magnets cured mah arthritis" pure BS, but this is probably the ultimate in non-invasive experimentation. Unlike the Magnet-in-glove thing, I've not tried magnetic wedding rings.

The biggest problem with "magnets/hands" is what happens when it inevitably cracks. Sharp little ceramic shards pinching slashed up tissue. So don't go giving steel plates a "high five".

Re:Magnets in your body? That's nice.

[scyph]

How long was it from having them implanted to being able to feel the buzz? I had two done at the beginning of April: right ring finger and back of the hand. I'm yet to feel anything 'accidental' (if I hold a magnet nearby, they go nuts; I can pick up staples too).

Re:Magnets in your body? That's nice.

[Damion]

A week or two. Turn on a microwave--that should do it. Or go into a bookstore--you'll feel the scanners at the door.

I live in NYC, where there are all kinds of things hidden behind walls and under the sidewalk. Maybe you're just in an area deficient in weirdness?

Re:Magnets in your body? That's nice.

[GungaDan]

Why? "Subdermal mangets"

Say no more, Dr. Freud, wink wink. Enjoy the man-getting!

Re:Magnets in your body? That's nice.

[kimvette]

Or any kind of surgery (including oral or nasal) where the anesthesiologist will flat-out refuse to admit you until the microdermals are gone, leaving behind scars.

Re:Magnets in your body? That's nice.

[scyph]

Turn on a microwave--that should do it

Yep, that worked. And now I recognise the feeling (from using my laptop and a few other things): what I was just putting down to sensitivity in my finger due to it being implanted (cut, lift, implant) is actually the magnet vibrating. Awesome! Thanks :)

Re:Magnets in your body? That's nice.

[J'raxis]

No different than someone with a bone fracture with metal pins in it...

Re:Magnets in your body? That's nice.

[Anonymous Coward]

As another guy with fingertip magnets (one in each ring finger) I second this!

Magnetic fields cause the tiny magnets to align to the field. You can feel the magnet inside the finger being attracted or repelled. In the case of alternating current, you have an oscillating electromagnetic field which causes the magnet to vibrate. There's no current being induced; you don't get shocked. If you want to try it without the implant, superglue a tiny rare earth magnet to your skin and go hunt some strong oscillating EM fields (AC adapters, some electric motors.) It's definitely a cool human augmentation, and kind of a comic book superpower. Sort of.

In the case of the article, he's got subdermal anchors with magnets attached to the part that sticks out of the skin. I've been wondering if one could get the same magnetic sensory ability from this arrangement, feeling the vibrating magnet. You could switch it for different magnets, and the shaft sticking out of the skin would give the magnet more leverage in most alignments.

Re:Magnets in your body? That's nice.

[MoonBuggy]

Interesting. If anyone else cares, a somewhat enlightening bit of Googling on the subject seems to indicate that it varies from doctor to doctor, and that the main concern is the metal interfering with electrocauterisation equipment (in the case that something goes wrong during surgery, even if it wasn't intended to be used originally) and causing burns. It's a risk mitigation thing, and it appears that some places won't budge, whereas others will have you sign a release, with further variability based on the inherent risk of the type of surgery in question.

Re:Magnets in your body? That's nice.

[AgentPaper]

For MRI, anything that might be even remotely magnetic is a no-go. Medical MRI systems start at 1.5 T and go up to 3 T, so anything in, on or near your body that can be affected by a magnetic field, will be. We have a two-page-long MRI safety form that we walk patients through prior to an MRI - if anything on the form is positive, you're not getting your scan until a radiologist reviews precisely what the offending item is and approves or denies the scan. (This includes tattoos, BTW - some tattoo pigments are ferrous, and the pigment particles can heat up enough under the MRI field to cause burns.)

In the surgical environment, we're usually not dealing with magnets, but electrosurgery (i.e. Bovie pen) is ubiquitous, and implanted metal can do unpleasant things within the return circuit. Hence, if it isn't a known surgical implant (i.e. if we don't know precisely what its electrical and thermal conductive properties are), you're not going to the OR with it.

Hope this helps!

Re:Magnets in your body? That's nice.

[wikdwarlock]

STOPPPP! Don't high 5 or your hands will... Too late, now you're stuck like that. Forever.

amateurs

[circletimessquare]

i do that with my macbook, on my chest

"nice rack" they point and laugh

yeah, it is a nice rack server, over WiMAX, neanderthals

FTFY:

[DarkIye]

"Subdermal Magnets Allow An Unusual Man To Wear an IPod Like a Watch"

Re:FTFY:

[ari_j]

My concern is more with the "like a watch" comparison. Who here affixes his watch to his body with subdermal magnets?

Re:FTFY:

[MoonBuggy]

Looking at the article, I was actually thinking this would be a lot cooler with a nice watch face than an iPod. Having it just sitting there without a strap seems like a subtle but kind of interesting way to modify a fairly standard accessory.

Re:Medical issues

[Damion]

The magnets that they use are coated pretty well. Mine are actually flat little magnets that are used in magnetic stirrers in chemistry labs. They're made to be as inert as possible.

In the first generation, the guy who did them coated them with silicone that would rub off. It would cause the skin around the magnet to blacken once that happened. Once I found out that they fixed that problem, I jumped on it.

Of course, if I ever need an MRI, I'll need them taken out.

Re:Until they make the entire case out of glass

[Picass0]

An all glass laptop sounds cool, and from a design POV I can see Apple doing it. I think the determining factor will be performance of iPhone 5's case and cost of materials over time. Aluminum is cheap and can be recycled. I don't know how cost effective it will be to melt down and recycle liquidmetal.

The liquidmetal process would probably involve a pouring or injection molds, where the laptop unibody fabrication is a milling process. Not that Apple hasn't retooled factories before.

Re:Medical issues

[scyph]

Of course, if I ever need an MRI, I'll need them taken out.

Not necessarily:
From: http://www.stevehaworth.com/wordpress/index.php/welcome-from-steve-haworth/magnetic-faq
'However, we now know of a few people who have the magnets have gone through MRIs and this did not happen. One person reported that the magnet just vibrated very strongly. Another person reported that the techs shielded his hand, as they would with someone who had shrapnel or other implants.'

You know...

[nine-times]

You know what else would allow you to wear an iPod like a watch? A watchband.

Re:Doing this is not smart

[MoonBuggy]

The anchors themselves are transdermal (through the skin), not subdermal (entirely under the skin) as the headline states. The magnetic caps sit on top of the steel which is protruding outside the skin, and the iPod then sits on them.

Allows You To Wear an IPod Like a Watch?

[timeOday]

Funny, all the watches I've seen have a strap that goes around your wrist to hold the watch on, which is not a bad idea if you think about it.

.

If I'm having something implanted, it should at least do some interesting sensing - blood cell count, oxidation, glucose level, or at least my pulse.

That, or covert I/O with an Internet-connected cognitive prosthesis.

Not new

[evil_aaronm]

I've had a magnet stuck to my head for about 15 years. It's called a cochlear implant. There's a metal plate embedded in my skull, but a moderately heavy-duty magnet holds the inductor coil in place. As far as I can tell, I haven't had any problems with this.

Overkill

[Hentes]

It's also possible to achieve the same effect without humiliating your own body by using a strap.

Re:Medical issues

[X0563511]

Wrong. The iron in hemoglobin is not magnetic.

Oblig XKCD

[Frankie70]

http://xkcd.com/644/