Forget Google Glass, smartwatches and even the biohacker who inserted a microchip under his skin, Motorola is hoping to trump them all with its microphone tattoo.
According to a patent filed by the Google-owned phone maker, the tattoo would be placed onto a person’s throat and pick sounds created by their voice.
If the user is making a phone call, the tattoo would then send these sounds wirelessly to the smartphone and the caller.
According to the patent submitted by Motorola, an electronic tattoo, illustration pictured, could be used to read fluctuations of muscle or tissue in the throat and register what the wearer was saying. The tattoos would then send these sounds wirelessly over Bluetooth or NFC to a smartphone
HOW WOULD THE TATTOO WORK?
Throughout the patent, Motorola calls the device ‘electronic tattoo 110’ and said it would ‘comprise audio circuitry that enables reception of acoustic signals from a person's throat’.
Put simply, the tattoo’s built-in microphone could pick up the sounds made by a person’s voice by reading vibrations and fluctuations of muscle or tissue from their voicebox.
It continues that the tattoo would either contain a battery that ‘may or may not be rechargeable’, or alternatively, could be powered by an NFC or Bluetooth charging device.
The patent addedsaid: ‘it is contemplated that the electronic tattoo 110 can also be applied to an animal as well.’
Explaining the reason behind the plans, Motorola said: 'Mobile communication devices are often operated in noisy environments. 'Large stadiums, busy streets, restaurants, and emergency situations can be extremely loud and include varying frequencies of acoustic noise. 'Communication can reasonably be improved and even enhanced with a method and system for reducing the acoustic noise in such environments and contexts.'
Motorola is set to release its new Moto G handset on 13 November and some analysts believe the software may be updated to work with devices such as the neck tattoo, yet a release date for the tattoo has not been announced.
As with all patents, the submission doesn't guarantee the technology will ever be available.
Motorola announced in May this year it was looking to replace traditional passwords with electronic tattoos or authentication pills that people swallow.
Speaking at the D11 conference, Motorola's senior vice president of advance research Regina Dugan showed off a tattoo, developed by Massachusetts-based engineering firm MC10, that contains flexible electronic circuits attached to the wearer's skin. She claimed these circuits, which also contain antennae and built-in sensors, could be adapted to work with mobile phones and tablets. The mobile devices could then be used to confirm the owner's identity and log them in to accounts automatically. This would prevent thieves and other people from being able to access a phone, or individual apps on the device, if it is stolen or lost.
Another idea presented during the keynote talk at the Wall Street Journal conference was a swallowable pill. The Proteus Digital Health pill has already been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and was given European regulatory approval in 2010. It contains a computer chip that can be powered like a battery using the acid in the wearer's stomach.
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