Electronic tattoos turns skin into smartphone controls

That may sound crazy but scientists at Saarland University in Saarbrücken, Germany, are trying to make it happen.

They have come up with something called SkinMarks in partnership with Google, according to New Scientist.

These are temporary electronic tattoos placed on the human skin that can be used to control devices like phones.

The paper tattoos, which contain sensors, can be manipulated by touch in several different ways.

A video shows how the SkinMarks (which can be removed after a few days) work.

‘SkinMarks are temporary interactive tattoos. They sense touch on submillimeter electrodes, capture squeeze and bend input, and support active visual output,’ scientists wrote in an accompanying paper.

‘Through a vastly reduced tattoo thickness and increased stretchability, a SkinMark is suffi- ciently thin and flexible to conform to irregular geometry, like flexure lines and protruding bones, while still allowing the user to reference those landmarks actually or visually.’

Writer: Jimmy Nsubuga for Metro.co.uk