DuoSkins are metallic looking temporary tattoos that are not only aesthetically appealing, but also allow the user to augment their own bodies by turning their skin into a digital, tactile interface.
DuoSkin is a fabrication process that enables anyone to create customised functional devices that can be attached directly on their skin. Using gold metal leaf (a material that is cheap, skin-friendly, and robust for everyday wear) DuoSkins can be used to create three types of on-skin interfaces: sensing touch input, displaying output, and wireless communication.
DuoSkin draws from the aesthetics found in metallic jewellery-like temporary tattoos to create on-skin devices which resemble jewellery. DuoSkin devices enable users to control their mobile devices, display information, and store information on their skin while serving as a statement of personal style. The designers behind the tattoos believe that in the future, on-skin electronics will no longer be black-boxed and mystified; instead, they will converge towards the user friendliness, extensibility, and aesthetics of body decorations, forming a DuoSkin integrated to the extent that it has seemingly disappeared.
