Functional tattoos

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Comments

  • Question: I know you can get UV reactive tattoos, but could I get one in NIR reactive pigment?

    Thinking about extending James Bridle's "surveillance spaulder" that makes his shoulder twitch when he walks under an infrared-casting CCTV camera.

    Could the same be done but with a tattoo - an eye that glowed when you were being watched?


  • UV and NIR have quite different properties. UV light is of shorter wavelength, thus has more energy per photon. So it's easy to excite an electron to a higher energy level and by the bouncing back, emitting visible light.
    NIR on the other hand has less energy and it is very unlikely to excite an electron into an orbit from which a visible wavelength would be emitted.

    So a fully passive system is probably not going to cut it (unless i got basic physics wrong, which i hope i don't)
  • That sounds about right, NIR has lower energy than visible wavelengths, so in order for what Frank is proposing to work, additional energy would have to be added into the system from an external source. A powered implant might be able to do it, but at that point it would be easier to just use an LED that's triggered by a PIR sensor or something.
  • You can get cards that fluoresce under NIR (linklink); though I'm not sure if LEDs are enough to set them off, or you need NIR laser.

    My main concern is I think that water absorbs IR pretty well, so your skin might filter out the IR before it hits the reactive pigment.
  • Well that's pretty cool, I guess it's more complicated than just wavelength vs. energy level. Figures, good science is seldom simple. Now I want an IR tattoo, too!
  • Going beyond just NIR/IR and UV, what about getting a dosimeter tattoo, which fluoresces when exposed to X-Rays, Gamma Rays, neutrons, etc.
    Finding something that fluoresces when exposed to those can't be too difficult.
  • Love that idea - though it could make getting through security at Chernobyl a little difficult.
  • At the least I imagine it will be a fun party trick to suddenly have a body full of glowing tattoos while talking to security as they are locking you up for being a mutant.
  • It would also be an issue trying to get a tattoo artist to give you a tattoo like this as well,  I have been trying to get a UV sleeve for some time, I want to get a circuit board design done that will only show up under UV light.  But the majority of shops aren't sold that the ink is safe and wont do it... everyone is afraid of getting sued these days... welcome to America land of the free... so long as you don't even think about pushing against the boundaries.
  • Free to roam around inside your cage is enough for "some" people. I imagine going to a body mod event and making contact with an artist ahead of time might yield some better results?
  • I love the idea of inks that react to varied wavelength. maybe like a spectrum on your arm and each band only lights when exposed to different wavelengths

  • That's kinda what I was thinking, except with energy-sensitive inks too.
  • Just have to say - love this idea. First tattoo concept that has really resonated with me. 
  • Hmm. I have been crawling around on the web and stumbled across this.


    Still in concept mode however I imagine I could throw this into the mix and someone who is a bit brighter in this department might find an interest in it.
  • Meh, there's nothing separating that conceptual "electronic tattoo" and the fantastical gadgets in any issue of Transmetropolitan. 

    This (and many other internet gems) aren't even true concepts. Ie not only does this skip important details like how you separate a layer of skin from the underlying tissue without it rotting and falling off, it fails to make a case for OH GOD WHY would you want a screen under your skin when you carry one in your pocket every hour of the day and night? There's absolutely no reasonable case for doing this, medically, financially, technologically, or user-wise.

  • so i've been interested in the uv tattoos for awhile, but... everything i've seen and read has either been hyped up to bullshit, or no longer works after 4 months. 200 bucks for 4 months seems a bit useless. the other stuff i've seen is linked to cancer, low quality, or just doesn't work as well as you'd like.
  • hashtag welcome to biohacking
  • Why do so many of the new people feel the need to necropost?
  •  it's better than making yet another post about magnets at least. I was guilty of necro posting when I first got on but I added to discussions. If people gotta necro to come up with new stuff, then have at it.
  • Probably because it feels safer to participate in an established thread even if it's old rather then stick your neck out on a new idea that may be bogus and get chewed on -_-   Participation is always good. Everyone has their own place they feel comfy in the pool....
  • I don't really have an issue with it, and you have valid points. It just goes against established protocol for every single forum I've ever been on.
  • I'd rather people bring up an old thread that start another whole new thread about the same thing. This place could use a little paring...
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