In the future, tattoos may represent much more than artwork.
Google is exploring the concept of an electronic skin tattoo that could embed a microphone and lie detector into a user's neck. Google's Motorola Mobility filed an application last week with the U.S. Patent Office for a method of pairing the tattoos with mobile devices, bringing technology closer to us than ever before.
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The patent, titled "Coupling an Electronic Skin Tattoo to a Mobile Communication Device," explains that the device would sit on the user's neck and serve as a supplemental phone microphone. With its close proximity to a user's mouth, the tattoo would cut down calls' background noise and produce clearer audio.
Equipped with a transceiver, the device would allow for wireless communication with a paired mobile device; this means voice commands on your phone would get even easier, without the need to press a "talk" button before speaking.
The tattoo can also be used as a lie-detector test. The patent says the device will have a "galvanic skin response detector to detect skin resistance of a user" and explains that a user who is nervous or telling a lie might have a different skin-related response than someone who is confident and telling the truth.
The patent application explains that the tattoo could run on a rechargeable battery or "employ solar panel technology, capacitive technology, nanotechnology or electro-mechanical technology."
The document doesn't cover how the tattoo would be applied, but it does mention that embedding it into a "collar or band that would be worn around the throat" is an option for those who don't like the idea of electronic-to-skin contact. The oddest part of the patent: The word "remove" doesn't show up at all in the document.
Motorola Mobility denied comment about the filing.
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