Motorola has released a tattoo that unlocks your phone

Let’s face it, when companies are interviewed at tech conferences, they talk about all kinds of crazy stuff that will never be launched, like the idea of wearing a digital tattoo to unlock your phone. Except this time, more than a year after first discussing the idea at the D11 conference last May, Motorola has actually done it and is showing it off in a new video. VivaLnk is selling packs of Digital Tattoos for a dollar each. Currently available for the Moto X, with support for other phones promised, each tattoo is said to last for around five days before washing off.

Motorola on Tuesday announced the launch of the digital tattoo method of identification for its Moto X handset, a tattoo sticker made out of “super thin” material that unlocks the smartphone without typing any passwords or drawing any patters. Made by VivaLnk Inc. and Google’s Advanced Technology and Projects group, the $9.99 NFC-operated digital tattoo is round and nickel-size, that sticking to the human skin with the help of an adhesive material and lasts for five days. The adhesive material is designed to tackle activities like jogging, showering and swimming. The users would simply have to tap the Motorola Moto X’s back side to the digital tattoo to unlock the smartphone. The whole process takes place over NFC connectivity. “It’s another step in making it easier to unlock your phone on the go and keep your personal information safe. An average user takes 2.3 seconds to unlock their phone and does this about 39 times a day-a process that some people find so inconvenient that they do not lock their phones at all. Using NFC technology, digital tattoos make it faster to safely unlock your phone anywhere without having to enter a password,” said the Motorola blog post.