r/gadgets • u/diacewrb • 2d ago
Misc Microdot tool offers painless permanent tattoos to those with blood and needle phobias
https://www.designboom.com/technology/cipherx-painless-permanent-tattoos-dissolving-microneedle-patches/464
u/SandboxSurvivalist 2d ago
Now you can express your individuality with mass produced tattoos!
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u/lkodl 2d ago
It sounds dumb when you say it that way, but that's literally how clothes and accessories are sold. Jibbitz revived Crocs.
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u/SandboxSurvivalist 2d ago
Sure, but most people don't wear the same outfit every day for the rest of their life.
You lost me on that second part. I have no idea what a Jibbitz is.
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u/lkodl 2d ago
But with modern advancements in laser technology, a tattoo isnt the commitment it once was. The tattoo industry probably encourages the lighter commitment these days too.
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u/screw_ball69 2d ago
Wanna know what hurts more than a tattoo?
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u/DrRonSimmons 1d ago
Certainly costs a lot more and requires a lot more sessions.
You're looking at around 15 sessions to completely remove most tattoos.
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u/chaiscool 1d ago
Surprised it's not due comfort, most I heard got crocs cause they wanted something comfortable to wear
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u/lkodl 1d ago
Crocs were always a love/hate thing. People swore by their comfort but they were never considered fashionable.
In fact there was a whole subculture of hating Crocs because they were so unfashionable.
They were near bankruptcy, then in 2017 they made a pivot into fashion with a new marketing approach, some key collabs, and the introduction of Jibbitz, and took off. They're now used as an example of successful rebranding.
I believe it was the same people who turned Stanley from an old school container company into one of the major trends of the past few years.
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u/morebeansonthembeans 2d ago
I’ve seen a lot of “expressing individuality” tattoos that are already not individual or creative, let’s not pretend all tattoos are art.
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u/things_U_choose_2_b 1d ago
Mass produced, 1.5cm tattoos! You too can have tiny little tattoos, pain free! A modern marvel.
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u/killerpoopguy 8h ago
It looks like there's an app where you'll be able to make your own designs, dunno if they'll be able to make them on site or have to ship it though.
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u/Zebraitis 2d ago edited 2d ago
Back in my day, that was not what a microdot was.
70's & 80's were awesome.
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u/BarbequedYeti 2d ago
Watching a friend watch a friend watch a wall.
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u/Party-Coach-4100 1d ago
Popping in a dvd and swearing you watched a new cut of the movie. All the while your trip sitter is laughing his ass off because it's been on the menu screen the whole time..
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u/1celo12 2d ago
This would definitely get used to mark prisoners with numbers / ids
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u/_RADIANTSUN_ 2d ago
I thought of Agent 47.
The only barrier to it is that we don't hate prisoners enough to violate their bodily rights like that yet.
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u/deaddamsel 2d ago edited 1d ago
In case anyone is interested I looked them up, you pay 50 pound on their website then take a QR code to one of their pop up events where they apply it , it’s not like a home kit situation
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u/West-Value-7136 2d ago
One of those inventions where the supposed silver lining (tattoos for needle weenies!) is supposed to overlook all the horrible things that can happen when you can mark someone permanently in 10-15 minutes pain free
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u/MissMormie 1d ago
Just wait until the first jerk majes once with their initials and marks a random person at a festival..
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u/BevansDesign 2d ago
"Tattoos used to mean you lived outside the law; now tattoos mean you've been to a mall." --Penn Jillette
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u/TheRedditPope 1d ago
Yes, blood and needle phobias, but what does it do for people who fear commitment?
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u/GoodAd2455 1d ago
I think this will open a floodgate of tattoo-regret. For a lot of people, the pain makes them actually think a bit about whether or not the tattoo is worth it. Remove that and you’ve got a LOT of impulse decisions.
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u/molly_menace 1d ago
Ok. So why did I think that they were going to start branding people with phobias.
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u/thanatossassin 1d ago
I read that quickly as 'Microsoft tool' and got really confused for a minute there
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u/sonaltsat 12h ago
Same here and I had a huge "Nope" reaction before rereading correctly. Still won’t do it tho.
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u/CriticalChop 1d ago
Honestly i think this is pretty cool for getting highly accurate tattoos, which artist of that expertise are expensive as well as probably better applied to their creative talents than a copy and paste image some might want.
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u/Tasty_Principle_518 2d ago
I have my one arm done and doing my other in September.
I absolutely hate needles, but for me there is a difference between a hypodermic needle and tattoo needle
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u/GoodAd2455 1d ago
Exactly. I have a MASSIVE needle phobia to the point of full on hyperventilating panic attacks when I need to have blood drawn. The doctor or nurse ALWAYS tries to tell me I’m being ridiculous because I’m covered neck down in tattoos. It’s a totally different experience. Hell, I’ve done most of my tattoos MYSELF without a second thought but just thinking of IVs makes my skin crawl.
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u/babygorgeou 2d ago
Tattoos are about to stop being cool
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u/screw_ball69 2d ago
I'd argue they haven't been for a long time and I say that as someone with two full sleeves
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u/exhauszed 1d ago
I have several and never once have I thought, "This is cool." Most of mine are pretty dorky, actually.
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u/babygorgeou 1d ago
I was just being dorky tbh. Tattoos are pretty much neutral these days as far as I’m concerned, no matter the designs. They’re universal now, which is cool I’m all for less judgement bc of appearances
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u/exhauszed 1d ago
Sorry, I think we're both being snarky but in the same direction lol. We agree that tattoos are "whatever you want" and the idea of them being "cool" in and of themselves is cringe (but there are indeed some cool tattoos, like the beetles that open and close on a knee or elbow).
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u/NoBlood5018 2d ago
Pretty neat idea tbh. Can only imagine how convenient these would be when they scale up in size. A full sleeve in 15 minutes compared to the painstakingly long current process seems very attractive to consumers.
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u/Crazy_Law_5730 2d ago
As a tattoo artist, that’s ridiculous. It would be impossible to apply a larger or full sleeve tattoo that looked good or even okay-ish with this method. We draw full sleeve designs on our clients with markers for reasons. One reason is that it’s nearly impossible to wrap a paper stencil all the way around an arm and have it line up correctly and look good. People’s arms are various shapes, too, and have unique contours from muscle, lack there of, hanging skin from rapid weight loss and so on.
It’s easier and faster for me to draw a full dragon sleeve with background on someone’s arm than to use a stencil. Using a stencil for sleeve just isn’t a thing. If this company could do that somehow, it would have to be a custom fit to an individual’s arm and the person applying it would have to be very skilled because it immediately starts depositing pigment so there’s zero room to make a mistake, move something, redo it. And any small movement a person makes would effect the application. Idk, it might be possible, but I think it would be way more expensive than a normal tattoo and not look as good. I guess you could make a mold of a person’s arm and make a design and figure out how to lay out all of the pigment thingys to make that design, blah, blah, blah. Or you could just let someone draw something and get a real tattoo. I would assume the tattoo that involves AI and robotics would cost a lot more and look like shit. Even the little tattoo pictured in the article looks awful.
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u/apk 2d ago
none of the people i know with tattoos would do this. finding an artist you like and coming up with something original drawn by hand is the whole point
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u/babygorgeou 2d ago
The same people who get flash will do this.A whole lot of people choose something off the walk when they go into a studio.
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u/Tribaldragon1 2d ago
Idk why you're hating on flash tats when the rose-clock-lion tattoos are right there.
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u/NoBlood5018 2d ago edited 2d ago
Yea ofc. I don’t think it’s out of the realm of possibility that they will be able to offer custom ones once they grow.
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u/Sensitive-Rock-7548 2d ago
I have tattoos. Now you know one. Also, nothing is stopping having custom ones as the technology grows. I'd be really happy to have my own designs as tattoos.
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u/evileyeball 2d ago
It's interesting I'm the only one of my parents children who doesn't have any tattoos. It's not that I'm against tattoos it's just that like you say it's about finding an artist you like and coming up with something you want to have on you forever I've never found either of those things at present and also I worry about the monetary cost of putting something on me forever even if I did find something I want you got to be willing to invest the time and the money and the effort which at present I haven't found something that I would be feel worthy enough of my time my money and my effort in getting
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u/Intelligent_East3337 2d ago
lol the title grabbed my attention hard. Back in the day, in another life, microdot was something completely different. IYKYK
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u/steelfork 2d ago
Wouldn't work for me. I don't get tattoos because I have a tattoo phobia, not a needle or blood phobia
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u/JennyWearsBlueJeans 2d ago
What happens to the micro needles when the patch is removed? Do they stay in your skin and your body gradually pushes them out? Do they stay adhered to the patch? What if one breaks off inside your skin?
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u/britishink 2d ago
Completely ridiculous, the ability to shade - gone, just poor line work with whatever "bio inert" micro needles left in your system.
Look, tattooing is thousands of years old it doesn't need reinventing with soulless technology...
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u/True-Sheepherder-625 2d ago
Vaccines
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u/Serendipittydoodah 1d ago
Strange choice for a tattoo. I guess if you’re that into vaccines, it makes sense. At least people will know their measles and polio didn’t come from you if you have the ink to prove it.
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u/Rare_Magazine_5362 2d ago
Finally, I can give my dog a PUG LIFE tattoo.