Nokia Thinks We Need The Ability To Get Phone Alerts Via Vibrating Tattoos

Just in case you should happen to miss either incessant beeping, a loud ringtone or an insistent vibration in your pocket/purse, why not just get a tattoo that would receive alerts directly from your phone and vibrate to let you know someone has something very important to say? Nokia wants to make that a reality.

In an application filed with the U.S. patent office (via Time.com), Nokia maps out their plan for linking your permanent ink with your personal technology. The idea includes a magnetic vibrating tattoo, basically a device that has “material attachable to skin.” It’ll pick up the signal from a magnetic field and then buzz the device on the person’s skin.

Linking the device to a cell phone will allow anyone with it tattooed, taped or otherwise attached to their skin to receive any kind of alert your phone can give. Facebook notification? Vvvbbbbrttt! Email? Vvbbrrtt! Text? Bbvvvrrrvvtt! And so on.

But this technology wouldn’t just stop with your run-of-the-mill smartphone, oh no, says Nokia — you could go on and link up to your tablets, game consoles or whatever else you need to keep in touch with. We can see it now: “Hang on, my tramp stamp says my phone is ringing,” or “Ugh, my tribal design arm tattoo is saying my inbox is full.”

Vibrating Tattoo Could Send Text Alerts Straight to Your Skin [Time]

Want more consumer news? Visit our parent organization, Consumer Reports, for the latest on scams, recalls, and other consumer issues.