Nokia Patents Vibrating Tattoo

I’ll often set my cell phone to vibrate, but my arm? That’s a new one.

Nokia, a company known for its green innovations, recently filed a U.S. patent application for a magnetic, vibrating tattoo that wirelessly connects to a mobile device and alerts users to phone calls, texts, etc….

How would this work?

The tattoo would use ferromagnetic ink. The ink would do two things: detect a magnetic field and emit a vibration. It would be paired with a phone, like how Bluetooth accessories are paired to electronics. The phone, however, would have to be capable of emitting different magnetic fields.

Each action the phone does would send out a different magnetic field. The tattoo would associate a different type of vibration with each field detected. The ink would be manipulated magnetically, causing the vibrations.

If you don’t want to get a tattoo, the patent also described a piece of fabric that could be attached to your skin.

I think this is an interesting concept. It would be easier to monitor your phone in situations where phones are frowned upon—work, the movie theater, etc… I assume that you’d be able to use your phone to control when it sends out the magnetic fields, otherwise the constant vibrations would get old fast!

Would you try out a vibrating tattoo (or fabric piece)?

For more information:

• Your Next Tattoo May Vibrate When You Get a Phone Call
• Nokia Patents Vibrating Tattoo, Lets You Feel Alerts

 

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• New Nokia Smartphone Most Sustainable to Date
• The Greenest Electronics Companies: 2011 Edition
• How Green is Your Phone?
• The Greenest Electronics Companies: 2010 Edition