7 New Technologies That Will Change The Tattoo Industry (and Tattoo Culture) As We Know It

As technology progresses, the future of tattooing will be anything but [American] traditional.

Tattoos are more popular than ever. Everyone from Justin Bieber to Justin Trudeau has — at least — one. (Seriously though, 40% of Millennials are inked, and it's a multi-billion dollar industry worldwide.) Shows like Ink Master and LA Ink are also likely contributing to an increase in widespread tat-related knowledge, as well as de-stigmatization that's occurring as this once-counterculture goes mainstream. But those aren't the only developments making their mark within the industry. The future of tattooing and tattoo culture may be headed for major transformation thanks to these bleeding edge technological advancements.

This is what the face of the tattoo industry could look like soon:

1. There will be 3D-printed tattooing machines

vimeo.com / Via dezeen.com

What is it? A Paris design studio called Appropriate Audiences has hacked a Makerbot 3D Printer and combined it with a tattoo needle to form a machine they're calling Tatoué.

What does that mean? Tattoo designs can be turned into digital files, downloaded and printed onto the skin of a human canvas.

Possible uses & implications: Let's say your favourite artist is across the country, or across the ocean. They could design a tattoo for you, e-mail it over, and you could have it done in the comfort of your own home. Heck, you could probably forgo the artist and get an entirely computer-generated tattoo. But, although this project has the potential for incredible precision, at the end of the day you'd have to sleep soundly knowing the "artist" who administered your tattoo was actually a robot.

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2. There will be disappearing tattoo ink

youtube.com

What is it? Blink is marketing itself as the world's first on-demand disappearing tattoo ink.

What does that mean? After getting a tattoo with Blink ink, you would wait until you wanted it removed and then go to a Blink facility where lightwave technology would break down the ink in a single session. According to the website, the process is painless and costs about the price of a tank of gas.

Possible uses & implications: This could literally un-do drunken decisions or impassioned romantic gestures involving the names of exes past. So "no ragrets." At the same time, is a tattoo really a tattoo if you're going to remove it in 2 years and pretend it never happened? It almost seems like planning an annulment before the wedding and calling it a marriage. At least with a tattoo divorce — expensive, painful laser treatments and all — you tried your darndest. And might this spur a wave of even more folks jumping rashly into bad tattoos? Please, no more butterfly tramp stamps!

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3. There will be musical tattoos

vimeo.com / Via magazine.good.is

What is it? Reading My Body, created by Russian artist Dmitri Morozov, is a device that reads tattoos off human bodies and translates them into sounds. Morozov has already inked himself up with some sheet music (i.e. a tattoo consisting of barcode-esque black lines).

What does that mean? According to psfk, this particular device is best explained as a sound controller that reads tattoos much like a musical score, and it consists of several different pieces including a 3D Nintendo Wii remote controller with Open Sound Control (OSC) protocol. The device can be programmed for manual or automatic operation.

Possible uses & implications: A form of self-expression once reserved for titillating only our visual senses could expand into auditory territory making body art all the more rich. If Morozov has his way, Reading My Body will spawn a new type of musical instrument, which would give fresh meaning to the idea that there is no separation between a musician and his/her apparatus.

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4. There will be tattoos designed using Photoshop

Via 99designs.com

What is it? Tools like the Cheyenne Hawk Thunder, which supposedly mimics the feel of a pen, are making it easier for artists to draw tats with fluidity and versatility. As a result, artists can embrace digital designs, such as layered imagery they've created on a computer using programs like Adobe Photoshop.

What does that mean? Places such as Buena Vista Tattoo Club are merging text, graffiti art and heavy shading to form a unique graphic look now known in Europe as "Trash Polka Style," according to 99designs.

Possible uses & implications: New styles and genres of tattoos are emerging and will continue to emerge. Plus, clients can benefit from the fact that digital tattoo design simplifies the process by which adjustments can be made to suit their preferences, compared to say altering a sketch. There is also the potential for a client to bring an artist a design that has been preemptively created on Photoshop by, for example, a friend who's a graphic artist. And, chances are, the client will walk away with a near perfect permanent replica. This time, in-the-flesh.

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5. There will be tattoo removal cream

Alec Falkenham, creator of bisphophonate liposomal tattoo removal, is pictured in Halifax’s Brass Anchor Tattoo Lounge. (Bruce Bottomley) / Via theglobeandmail.com

What is it? A PHD student at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia is working on a topical cream that would fade tattoo ink without lasers, injections, blisters or inflammation.

What does that mean? The method, which he calls bisphosphonate liposomal tattoo removal, would essentially penetrate the skin and kill the cells that are holding the tattoo pigment in place as an immune response without affecting the healthy cells around it.

Possible uses & implications: It would only cost $4.50 to remove a 10 by 10 centimetre tattoo. Let's vote to give free samples to everyone with a tribal armband. This might be the answer to our prayers — or, uh, praying hands.

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6. There will be E-Tattoos

Via techyclick.com

What is it? Google-owned telecoms equipment and costumer electronics company Motorola has already put in a patent for a stick-on electronic neck tattoo, and other companies are working on similar initiatives.

What does that mean? Stuck to a person's neck region, the e-tattoo would basically function as a bluetooth headset that would capture the sound emanating from the wearer's vocal chords and transmit it to a smartphone or another computing device.

Possible uses & implications: With pesky "room noise" abolished, the sound quality of phone calls would surely improve rendering that Verizon commercial from like 2002 totally null and void. "Can you hear me now?" "Yes, Paul. For God's sake, you're talking to me directly out of your throat." Siri or her successor would probably become more obedient, too. But the e-tattoo also has more significant potential: a display and a galvanic skin response detector so that it could serve as a lie detector, heart monitoring, automated drug delivery, and they may even be able to leverage sweat for power! In terms of cybersecurity, the e-tattoo could be used as an alternative to traditional passwords as a form of bio-electric identity authentication.

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7. There will be social networks dedicated entirely to tattoos

Via tattoohero.com

What is it? Tattoo Hero is social network that aims to connect tattoo seekers with tattoo artists around the world. It's also a place where you can post or browse for info, design inspiration and recommendations.

What does that mean? Finally! A worthwhile tattoo-centric social network. Basically, it's what would happen if Instagram and Travis from Blink 182 had a baby. Or, LinkedIn joined the Hells Angels. Or Pinterest's badass cousin from Williamsburg came to town.

Possible uses & implications: While Tattoo Hero can't do much for the girl who got Drake's name permanently etched onto her forehead or the poor soul who got a tattoo of the blue/black or white/gold (let's not start) dressgate dress, it can help people get more informed tattoos based on their favourite designs and connections forged with top artists.

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Who knows? With all this emerging tech, maybe one day getting a tattoo will go like this: A person will find an artist they like halfway across the globe on Tattoo Hero's network and the artist will e-mail their Photoshopped design to a 3D printer, which will administer the tattoo on the vocal command, "3-2-1 Go!" (It would work because the person has an e-tattoo hooked up to the printer. Get it?) Maybe they used Blink Ink, maybe they'll apply some topical cream, but a few years down the road they may decide it's time for a clean and painless removal — or they may decide a tattoo is something worth keeping with them forever.