Tattoo enthusiasts around the world are in a frenzy over the newest advancement in body art technology – audible, sound wave tattoos. That’s right, you can now have the voice of a loved one or the verse of your favorite song permanently fixed into your skin, and listen to it using a special app any time you want.
Soundwave tattoos were developed by a company called Skin Motion. The idea was conceived by tattoo artist, designer and founder of Skin Motion Nate Siggard, after two of his friends got the opening line of the song Tiny Dancer by Elton John tattooed. When they left, his girlfriend said, “Wouldn’t it be cool if you could listen to the tattoo?”. Nate, a natural born entrepreneur, realized he could make it happen. He did one on himself of his wife and his 4 year-old child saying “I love you” and posted a video online. It went viral with over 14 million organic views, and 240,000 shares in one week.
How Does It Work?
After recording or uploading a piece of audio to the Skin Motion app or website, a visual Soundwave is generated. The recipient of the tattoo then takes the image to a licensed Soundwave tattooist from the Skin Motion Artist Network. The artist needs to be licensed to ensure understanding of the limitations of the technology, and how to manage tattoo placement, size and changes to the design if the recipient desires further customization. Upon completion, a photo of the tattoo is uploaded to Skin Motion’s platform, where the audio and image are processed and added to the app’s database. When the user opens the app and points the camera on their smartphone at the tattoo, it recognizes the shape of the Soundwave and plays the audio.
A Soundwave tattoo can capture up to 1 minute of sound. See and hear how it works below.
https://youtu.be/wVsXARjQc_w
When Can I Get One?
The Skin Motion app is still in development, with official release scheduled for June 2017. The Skin Motion website published a call out for tattoo artists around the world who wish to become qualified Soundwave tattooists. Hundreds of artists from 15 different countries have already signed up.
Find out more at skinmotion.com.