Motorola wants to tattoo your neck
Most of us rely heavily on technology in our day-to-day lives. It is part of the world in which we live. New technology is constantly bringing us the latest and greatest gadgets, apps, and hardware to make our lives better. As companies push the limits to be the company that develops the next “best” device, it is easy to understand they sometimes get carried away.
With the latest trends in wearable technology (Google Glass, for instance), it does not seem too far fetched that you could wear a microphone; most of us wear one at conferences from time to time anyway. But Motorola’s newest patent idea could leave you flabbergasted.
They have patented an idea that definitely makes me want to go a bit John Conner, from Terminator and live “off grid,” indefinitely, having applied for a patent to brand you with an “electronic tattoo” on your neck.
How this technology will work
This tattoo will double as a microphone, lie detector, and digital display. Seriously. The tattoo would capture vibrations and sounds directly from your throat with its own built-in power supply. The belief is that by transmitting directly from a user’s throat, background noise will be eliminated. The sound would be transmitted from the tattoo to a nearby smartphone via Bluetooth, near-field communication, or wireless technology (ZigBee).
The patent states: “mobile communication devices are often operated in noisy environments. For example, large stadiums, busy streets, restaurants, and emergency situations can be extremely loud and include varying frequencies of acoustic noise.” So you want to tattoo me for noise reduction?
AND a lie detector, what!?
If you are wondering about the lie detector part, you are not alone. The patent states “a user that may be nervous or engaging in speaking falsehoods may exhibit different galvanic skin response than a more confident, truth-telling individual.”
The galvanic skin response is measured by the rate at which electrical current passes through skin. So, in theory, someone could download your galvanic skin data. and everything else attached with the tattoo and use it against you. Is this the next area to be hacked, body responses? I am not sure. I just know I am not a fan.
But what about…
In closing, can I just ask two things: what about radiation? We are not supposed to hold our cell phones to our heads when we talk and now you want to attack one to my neck :When did we become available for branding? I know wearable technology is trending, but this is too extreme. Permanently marking a body, so you have clearer calls, hardly seems reasonable. In fact, it seems downright creepy.
What do you think?
