Google has filed for the patent of a system that allows users to communicate with devices and people via a temporary electronic throat tattoo, reports CNN. The throat tattoo will be in similar size to a band-aid and tt’s worth noting that at this stage, this is merely a patent.
Here’s what you need to know:
1. Just Stick the Tattoo to Your Throat
(Getty)
The patent documents state that the electronic tattoo, which users will stick to their throats, will be able to communicate with phones, tablets and Google Glass. The technology will be voice-operated and will not require users to wear an earpiece.
2. The Patent Was Filed by Motorola
Google Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt (Google)
The patent was filed in 2012 but only made public on November 8. It wasn’t filed by Google but by Motorola Mobility, which is owned by the search engine giant. When Google bought Motorola in August 2011, along with a whole bunch of useless flip-phones, they also bought the company’s 7,500 unapproved patent applications. The patent for the “throat tattoo” was filed on May 3, 2012.
3. The Tattoo Can Be Used as a Lie Detector
Eventually the technology could be used as lie detector, reports The Atlantic. The patent document reads:
Optionally, the electronic skin tattoo can further include a galvanic skin response detector to detect skin resistance of a user.
It is contemplated that a user that may be nervous or engaging in speaking falsehoods may exhibit different galvanic skin response than a more confident, truth telling individual.
4. It Will Allow You to Listen to Music Without an Earpiece
It can also be used to make audio clearer, in phone calls and in listening to music, the technology claims to be able to block out “acoustic noise.” While this may work for outgoing voice commands, it’s not clear how this will work when you’re trying to have a conversation or are listening to music.
5. Even Rover Can Have a Throat Tattoo
For some reason: “The electronic tattoo can also be applied to an animal as well.”
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Google Patents ‘Throat Tattoo’ Technology; May Be Used as Lie Detector