Tech and tattoos

Wearable technology is nothing new, for quite some time we have been walking around with FitBits on our wrists monitoring our health, or smart watches that make payments easy. For many, wearable tech has become a normal part of life.

But how can people use this technology without having to ‘wear’ it?

Could biotech tattoos be the answer?

These tattoos work just like temporary tattoos, they are made of multiple electronic components and are able to stick to the skin. Similar to a FitBit they are able to monitor our health from our heart rate, to blood pressure and body temperature. One software company, ‘Chaotic Moon’, is developing a tech tattoo to do just that.

The aim is to have a constant health update, as the company’s creative technologist explains, “rather than going to the doctor once a year for your physical, this tech tattoo can be something you put on your body once a year and it monitors everything that they would do in a physical and it sends that to your doctor, and if there’s an issue they can call you,” 

As well as this the University of California developed a tattoo that uses enzymes to measure sweat in athletes, allowing them to track their fitness and remove the need of blood tests to examine the levels of lactate in their sweat.

And there are not just health benefits to these tech tattoos, some companies are even starting to develop ‘smart tattoos’ that can make payments for you, in bitcoin and ‘real’ money.

The idea of these tech tattoos being able to track our fitness and make payments for us seems more practical than wearing smart watches and FitBits all the time, however many are still in the development phase.

And while these tech tattoos seem like a good idea, it brings about the age-old debate of tattoos in the workplace. For many in customer facing roles having visible tattoos can still be a hurdle when applying for a job, despite the qualifications and work experience. However, could these tattoos that have a ‘purpose’ change that, or will they be a further stumbling block?

It may be some time before biotech tattoos become the norm in and out of the workplace but I’m excited to see what they will look like and if they really do become the next big thing in wearable technology.

Would you use a tech tattoo? Do you think they are more practical than other wearable tech products? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below

KDR Recruitment is the home of the best Information Management and Data Analytics jobs. For more tech news and views check out the KDR blog or follow KDR on LinkedIn.