The Finnish mobile giant, Nokia, has filed a patent with the US Patent and Trademark office which involves the idea of spraying or stamping “ferromagnetic” material onto a user’s skin and then pairing this tattoo with a mobile device. The patent suggests that different vibrations could be used to create alerts for different types of mobile actions such as texts and calls.
The application lists Cambridge-based Zoran Radivojevic as the lead inventor. The magnetic marking could be attached either to a user’s arm, abdominal area, finger or fingernail and the “magnetic field may cause vibration of one short pulse, multiple short pulses, a few long pulses… strong pulses, weak pulses and so on.”
The filing also suggests that the magnetic marking could be used as an identity check or eventually replace passwords. By picking a certain shape, the user could create a “specific magnetic impedance” – which would become effectively their own magnetic fingerprint.
Certainly an interesting concept and one to follow up with. Definitely along the Bourne Ultimatum lines. Anyone interested in getting a little bit of magnetic ink added to their body?
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- Nokia’s Magnetic Ink Patent
