MIT in collaboration with Microsoft Research have developed DuoSkin. DuoSkin is a fabrication process that enables anyone to create customized functional devices that can be attached directly to the skin. Using gold leaf, the engineers were able to make three classes of DuoSkin that function as inputs, outputs and communication devices. The input devices can be used as a trackpad or controller to, for example, change the volume of music playing. Output devices display data, such as your body temperature or what emotion you’re feeling. The communication devices can incorporate technology like NFC chips, so that data can be kept in your tattoo and read by phone or other sensors.
DuoSkin draws from the aesthetics found in metallic jewelry-like temporary tattoos to create on-skin devices which resemble jewelry. 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.
We believe that in the future, on-skin electronics will no longer be black-boxed and mystified; instead, they will converge towards the user friendliness, extensibility, and aesthetics of body decorations, forming a DuoSkin integrated to the extent that it has seemingly disappeared.
Source: MIT Media Lab
Gilded Monkee 