Worried you’ll get repetitive stress injuries if you keep unlocking your smartphone by tapping in a passcode or swiping an unlock pattern? Some you can use facial recognition to unlock many Android phones, Motorola’s also trying a new approach: digital tattoos.

Slap a temporary, digital tattoo on a body part and for all you need to do unlock your phone is swipe it over the tattoo.

digital tattoo

Motorola partnered with VivaLnk to create the tattoos. The adhesive sticks to your skin for about 5 days and should be able to withstand a shower, swim, or sweat from a workout.

The digital tattoo’s about the size of a nickel and uses NFC wireless technology to let your phone know it’s safe to unlock.

The digital tattoos are available in packs of 10 which sell for $10. In other words, a year’s supply would cost a bit over $70… but time is money, and Motorola figures it takes an average of 2.3 seconds to unlock a phone — and that’s something the average person does 39 times a day.

In other words the tattoo could save you 9 hours of labor per year… you know, if the act of swiping your phone over your arm were instantaneous. Real-world time savings will probably be a bit lower.

Plus, you’ll be that dork with a digital tattoo on your arm (or other body part).

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7 replies on “Unlock your Moto X smartphone with a digital tattoo”

  1. There’s also the NFC Ring that’ll work with any Android phone.

  2. Why don’t you just incorporate this “feature” into your watch or smartwatch or other jewelery. How about smart shoes? Key fob maybe? Apparently I have Nike runners that somehow send walking/running info to an iPod (but I don’t own anything Apple so I have no idea if it works). To me this seems kind of unnecessary in a tattoo form but perhaps there is merit with someone with a disability.

    1. You can; there’s an app that locks/unlocks your phone based on what Bluetooth device you have linked to the phone.

  3. Or guys can stick them on the inside of their belts, on their key fobs, etc. Not a bad deal if they last a long time this way.

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