Skintillates: Designing and Creating Epidermal Interactions

Skintillates is a wearable technology that mimics tattoos - the oldest and most commonly used on-skin displays in human culture. We demonstrate that by fabricating electrical traces and thin electronics on temporary tattoo paper, a wide array of displays and sensors can be created. Just like the traditional temporary tattoos often worn by children and adults alike, Skintillates flex naturally with the user's skin. Our simple fabrication technique also enables users to freely design and print with a full range of colors to create application-specific customized designs. We demonstrate the technical capabilities of Skintillates as sensors and as expressive personal and private displays through a series of application examples. Finally, we detail the results of a set of user studies that highlight the user experience, comfort, durability, acceptability, and application potential for Skintillates.

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