Ordinarily, in order to measure the electrical activity of the heart or muscle tissue, relatively stiff electrodes are applied to the skin along with a contact gel. There may soon be a less cumbersome alternative, however, in the form of ultrathin temporary tattoo electrodes.
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A remarkable new study provides a novel insight into why tattoo ink stays so permanently in a person’s skin. Instead of being a static process, it was discovered that cells in the dermis are constantly dying and passing on the tattoo pigment to new cells so an inked design seems stable.
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Using infrared imaging technology a team at the British Museum has uncovered tattoos on two ancient Egyptian mummies, revealing the oldest ever discovered examples of figurative tattoos, which date back to Egypt's Predynastic period between 3351 and 3017 BCE.
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A team at MIT has genetically modified bacteria cells and developed a new 3D printing technique to create a "living tattoo" that can respond to a variety of stimuli.
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Tattoos are fast becoming more than just a means of self-expression: soon they could be fitted with practical applications. Now, a team from Harvard and MIT has developed a smart ink that could make for tattoos that monitor biometrics like glucose levels, and change color in response.
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Scientists were already aware that pigments from tattoo ink can travel to the lymph nodes. Cutting edge X-ray technologies have now provided a look at what much smaller, and more toxic particles within the ink get up to, suggesting that these too can make the migration.
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From tattoos that act as embedded sensors to high-tech ink that can be easily removed, tattoos in the new millennium may look similar to how they have in the past, but they're set to get some added functionality.
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Tattoos could soon have more practical uses. A team of researchers from Waseda University in Japan has developed a simple new method to manufacture electronic tattoos, printing the conductive “wiring” with a basic inkjet printer and joining components without the need for solder.
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A team at Tel Aviv University's (TAU's) Center for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology have developed an alternative to the invasive needle electrodes used in electromyotherapy, in the form of an electronic "tattoo" that unobtrusively monitors muscle activity.
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JC Sheitan Tenet is a southpaw tattoo artist, not because he's left-handed but because he lost his right one 22 years ago so has no choice. Until now. A collaboration with visual artist JL Gonzal has resulted in a custom-designed "biomechanical prosthesis" that has a built-in rotary inker.
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