Nokia Patents Vibrating Tattoo, Lets You Feel Alerts
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altrendo images/Stockbyte/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — Finnish cell phone maker Nokia has filed a U.S. patent application for a magnetic vibrating tattoo that could wirelessly connect to a mobile device and alert users of phone calls, texts and battery status — all via vibration.
The apparatus comprises “a material attachable to skin, the material capable of detecting a magnetic field and transferring a perceivable stimulus to the skin, wherein the perceivable stimulus relates to the magnetic field.”
Diagrams in the patent show examples of the small, square gadget as applicable to a user’s arm, abdominal area or fingernail.
For those wary of an actual tattoo, the patent says the device could potentially be stamped, sprayed, attached with adhesive tape, applied as a decal or even drawn on.
The object could emit different vibrations for “an alert of a message, indication of an incoming call, indication of a body part in proximity of the electronic device, indication of information displayed on the electronic device, indication of a launch of an application and indication of a least a portion of a displayed image.”
A magnetic field originating from the electronic device would connect to the tattoo device.
The electronic devices may include a cell phone, laptop, music player, tablet, a wrist or neck-worn electronic device or a game console, according to the patent.
Nokia didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment on the patent.
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