Researchers create temporary tattoos you can use to control your devices

In the future, your tattoos could be much more than just ink designs.

Scientists have created a new kind of high-tech temporary tattoo that can act as a controller for smartphone apps and other devices. Called DuoSkin, the tattoos were created as a joint effort between MIT researchers and Microsoft Research.

The temporary tattoos are applied just like any other temporary tattoo. Made of gold leaf (and sometimes LEDs) the tattoos look more like jewelry than the temporary tattoos of decades past. 

In a paper that will be presented at the upcoming International Symposium on Wearable Computers, the researchers outline three main uses for the tattoos: an input device, so you can control, say, a smartphone app; an output device, so the tattoo itself can be used as a display; or a communication device, when the tattoos use NFC (near-field communication) to send data to other devices. Read more...