13. Skin Electronics¶
Week 13. It´s a wrap!
We finally got to the last week of Fabricademy!
Woooooooow :-)
The concept: High Fever Tattoo¶
This week we tackled skin electronics. My main objective was similar to the first week in which we worked e-textiles: with a focus on understanding the materials and the associated processes. I did not focus on a Party Item this time!
These weeks were complex because my children were sick: both with fever and cough. In a pandemic context, feverish children are not good news! Anyway, thankfully, this fact helped me to develop a concept associated with this week's assignment.
When a child, (especially if it is in early childhood) has a fever, their parents become quite concerned, trying to permanently control the rise and fall of temperature. Many times, the child, who is not feeling good because he is sick makes it difficult to take frecuently the temperature.
So, what if during the days that the child is ill, we could knew permanently his´s temperature in a fun way?. This is how I came with the idea of a Temporary Tattoo, made with thermochromic ink, that could let everyone know the child temperature without bothering him
The Product¶
The Thermochromic paint varies depending on the child's body temperature. With a normal temperature, around 36 degrees Celcius, the tattoo has pastel colors. As the temperature increases, the color of the tattoo changes to white. If, instead, the child is very cold, the tattoo has a very intense color.
Note: This product does not work perfectly, was made as a concept test. The pigment used,EHCGLOW Thermochromic pigment, starts to vary when the temperature is at 31 Degrees Centigrates and it turns absolutely white when the temperature rises around 40. If this product was developped, the Thermochromic Temperature should be adjusted.
The Process¶
Before starting, I tested the pigment over the paper and the skin, to confirm that my idea could work and that this concept was actually a possibility.
Below I describe the whole process of making the Fever Tattoo:
I drew Pina (the "already famous" transitional object) in a regular A4 paper.
2.
I transferred it to a [temporary tattoo paper Silhouette](https://www.silhouetteamerica.com/shop/MEDIA-TATTOO-3T) leftovers, and then I went over it with indelible fiber.
3.
I painted the surface of the Silhouette paper with the thermochromic Ink. To prepare the termochromic pigment, I used 1/10 of pigment with 10/10 of white glue.
4.
I sticked over the draw, the specialized water-activated adhesive for application onto skin surface.
5.
I cut it out.
6.
I applied it on the skin.
7.
I tried to vary the body´s temperature in order to test it.