High-Tech Tattoo Uncovers New Potential for Digital Art [VIDEO]
An artist in New York has unveiled a creative way for you to sport your personal devices by using body art. Anthony Antonellis has taken wearable technology beyond the realm of computerized eyeglasses and smart watches and deeper into the skin with a digital tattoo.
The pattern itself is visible only through a smart phone, but the chip as small as a grain of rice can store up to 1KB of graphics.
The digital tattoo is projected as a GIF by a small RFID chip implanted between Antonellis’ thumb and index finger. The chip is similar to the one used in electronic ticketing.
This fusion of art and technology beats Motorola in the race to use subcutaneous devices for data storage and transfer. In May, the company announced plans to create smart tattoos that store passwords to speed up the authentication process for users.
Motorola is but the first of big tech companies eager to jump in the bandwagon of invasive devices.
But unlike the company’s brand of personal technology, Antonellis’ tattoo serves a “public purpose.” He will upload his designs into the device then distribute them to fellow art lovers interested in downloading graphics from his hand and into their smart phones.
Streamlining gadgets with the day-to-day functions of the human body is nothing new. The health-conscious digerati have looked to electronic devices to keep track of everything, from calorie intake to menstrual cycle.
But a wave of stylish gadgets more intricate than the average pulse or blood pressure monitor is predicted to hit the market in the next five years or less. After the influx of smart phones and tablets, Samsung and Google are now developing personal gadgets, such as the nascent Galaxy Gear smart watch and the Google glasses, to serve both as digital tools and savvy fashion accessories.