A few years ago, nobody could have predicted that Donald Trump would be the leader of the free world, or that 25 women would be willing to compete for Nick Viall's affection. But if Black Mirror — the sci-fi series that spooked us with its too-close-for-comfort, tech-obsessed message — has taught us anything, it's this: The future can be fucking scary.
If you needed any more proof of that fact, this 45-second video from New Scientist, is it. The clip takes you through highlights of the latest tattoo innovation: electronic ink that syncs up to your smartphone. (As if you need another doodad sending you notifications.) Even weirder, the temporary tat — which goes on via a damp paper and rubs off after a few days — illuminates like Lite-Brites or the Electrical Parade at Disney World, only it's on your skin. Shudder. Watch it for yourself below.
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As you can see, this isn't your regular glow-in-the-dark body art. Rather, these electronic tattoos are wired up to a micro-controller that directly links to your phone, where it triggers signals about your movements and displays notifications. While the next-gen invention appears to be in the early stages of development, we still can't wrap our heads around the idea of our having our phones tattooed on our skin. There's just something so terrifying about it. (Not to the level of the British Prime Minister sexually defiling a pig, but you get our point.)
If we could suggest some alternatives to the technology gods, may we politely ask for machine that makes ink go in painlessly? Or lets us create our dream tattoo with the touch of a button? Those are things we could get behind.