Ink junkies, take note— a machine could create your future tattoos.
Three French design students modified a MakerBot 3D printer to administer tattoos. One lucky volunteer is now the proud bearer of the world's first 3D-printed tattoo — a perfect circle on his forearm.
Pierre Emm, Piotr Widelka and Johan Da Silveira modified the printer as part of a challenge from France's Cultural Ministry and hosted through design school ENSCI Les Ateliers. For the challenge, the students had eight hours to create a project that remixes images, videos and sounds found in the public domain.
Though the original project used only a pen to create a temporary tattoo, the students worked in their spare time to create a printer that would create permanent tattoos.
The trio tested their machine using artificial skin before finding a volunteer and using a Scooter inner tube to the hold the skin taut.
A tutorial detailing the building process can be found online at Instructables.
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