It is quite common among parents to tattoo their children's names and “carry them on the skin”, but with the help of technology it is possible to add a multimedia layer and create something more than a simple name. That is where the service Skin Motion Soundwave Tattoo comes in, which allows users to tattoo the waveform of a sound they want to preserve (from their babies' laughter to the funny howl of a dog), and then use it as a reference to play that same audio through the official app.
The web offers dozens of alternatives for preserving data. Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive, iCloud… the capacity varies, but their free versions are flexible enough to store images, sounds, and why not videos. However, some might say that backing up information in the cloud is nothing personal or sentimental. There are memories that are much more special, and as such they deserve a different treatment. That said, how does it sound to turn them into an interactive tattoo?
https://www.youtube.com/embed/wVsXARjQc_wHow It Works
In essence, that is what Skin Motion offers with its Soundwave Tattoos. The service focuses exclusively on audio: It all starts with the user creating the waveform of the audio they want to preserve. Then they visit their favorite tattoo artist and ask them to reproduce the waveform on their skin. Finally, the service is activated by sending a photograph of the tattoo. Each time the user uses the official app on their smartphone and points it at the tattoo, Skin Motion will play the content. Now, the app does not reconstruct the audio from the waveform, but rather works similarly to a QR code or the classic OCR. In other words, it is a simple visual association that triggers the audio when it is detected.
https://www.youtube.com/embed/ubVaqWiwGVc https://www.youtube.com/embed/k2tup-A-AmUThe Fine Print
So… what's the fine print? Skin Motion works with a subscription model. The initial payment is $40 for the first year, and each additional year costs $10. I think that annihilates any charm the service might have, but from what I've observed there are many people out there with a different opinion of Skin Motion.
