Maybe your main problem with tattoos is probably the fact that you’ve never been able to play Pong on them. But those problems seem to be over now that an international team of researchers, led by John Rogers at the University of Illinois, has developed a new flexible array of LEDs that can be implanted under the skin.
The researchers managed to make the LED matrix implantable by encasing the electronics in a thin layer of silicon rubber that makes the whole thing functional even when exposed to biofluids. Mc10, a new company founded by Rogers, hopes to commercialize the new technology over the next few years.
In addition to its obvious use of making you a totally sweet cyborg with awesome subdermal LEDs, the team thinks the array could have several slightly more traditional uses. The LEDS could be used to monitor the healing of wounds or to trigger light sensitive drug treatments.
The team also thinks that the array’s flexibility could also give it several uses in robotics, so look forward to the day when you and your robot buddy can high five to celebrate your matching LED body art.