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12. SKIN ELECTRONICS

RESEARCH

This week, we had a fascinating lecture by Katia Vega. We went into the world of the intersection of skin electronics and beauty technology. The concept of embedding electronics into the skin and body as a form of expression, utility. Katia's work can be found HERE.

For my weekly project I created a rosary with a red LED light embedded in the cross, symbolizing a heart at its center.

ELECTRONIC TATTOOS + CONDUCTIVE INK

I began exploring electronic tattoos and the potential of wearable conductive ink. This field promises to revolutionize healthcare, art, and personal expression.

IINSPIRATION

  • 𖡎 Batoul Omar AL-Rashdan: Her attempt to create a conductive ink with henna showcases the challenges of combining traditional practices with modern technology.
  • 𖡎 Katia Vega: Her groundbreaking work on conductive makeup redefines electronic cosmetics as both functional and artistic tools, pushing the boundaries of wearable technology.
  • 𖡎 MIT Research: Scientists developed electronic tattoos capable of real-time healthcare monitoring. See the presentation below:

ROSARY IN THE MAKING

MATERIALS

    𖡎 LED light (red) - for the heart in the cross.
    𖡎 Circuit design - internal for invisibility, with the battery placed externally.
    𖡎 Soldering tools - for connecting beads and components.

HOW 2

I created the rosary beads using soldering tool. I integrated the led light inside of the cross using a combination of manual assembly and soldering.

CONCLUSION

While photographing the rosary, it broke due to fragile solder beads which pulled my sweater but I managed to take a photo on the mannequin. This showed the need for more robust assembly techniques and materials in wearable electronics.

REFERENCES

    𖡎 Scalco, L. et al. (2024) ‘On-scalp printing of personalized electroencephalography e-tattoos’, Cell Biomaterials, 0(0). Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.celbio.2024.100004.